Desperate Measures
by Super Chocolate Bear
Summary: Four million years ago, the Autobot Council, with energon supplies dwindling, puts Optimus Prime in command of a mission to find more.
1. Assignment

Disclaimer: I don't own _Transformers._

_**Desperate Measures**_

_**Chapter One: Assignment**_

_Four Million Years Ago…_

Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots and bearer of the Matrix of Leadership, ducked his head as another Energon grenade went off near his position. He had been pinned down behind a particularly (and blessedly) strong piece of rubble for quite a while now, and was finding it difficult to hear anything _but _the noise of explosions and laser fire. He leaned forward and looked left to allow himself a quick look at the battlefield.

Trailbreaker was protecting an obviously wounded Perceptor while the Protectobots, hopelessly outmatched by the ten or so seekers that were raining down hell upon them, fought valiantly to survive. Optimus peeked up above the chunk of rubble and quickly ducked as Shockwave once again tried to blast his head off from a safe distance.

Prime uttered a shockingly explicit curse and opted to keep his head down. While in his alternate mode, Shockwave was too accurate at long distances. Optimus couldn't even see the one-opticed Decepticon; the only reason he knew it was him was because Autobot Intelligence had seen him leading the task force.

He hadn't wanted to come here. It was a waste of resources. All of the Autobots had been evacuated from the city, and Optimus was happy enough to let the Decepticons have it. He wanted to be helping Ultra Magnus prepare for the battle at Polyhex, or be fortifying the defensive systems of Uraya and Iacon, not wasting time in some worthless shell of a city.

But, needs must as the Autobot Council of Elders drives. Optimus shook his head. What was the good of having been 'chosen' by the Matrix if no-one listened to him? Apparently, Sentinel Prime had had similar problems, according to Ironhide and Kup. It was the Council's insistence that Sentinel negotiate with Megatron that had gotten him killed in the end.

With a scowl, Optimus resolved not to allow the Council the pleasure of seeing another Prime fall on one of their random whims. There was no reason to be here. There wasn't anything of value here, and now one of his mechs was down, possibly dying. Reinforcements were unlikely if not impossible; all other resources were turned towards defending other possible targets.

Reaching down, Optimus picked up a few chunks of metal that had been blown loose by a stray explosion. He tossed them to his right, and ran to his left. Shockwave fired on the first motion he saw; the chunks of metal. He obviously realised his mistake too late, because Optimus had leapt across the battlefield, landing behind the much more secure cover that shielded Trailbreaker and Perceptor.

He knelt down next to the injured scientist. "How is he?"

Trailbreaker shook his head. "He's losing a lot of Energon. We need to get out of here, Prime."

"Did you send the message?"

The black Autobot nodded. "But who knows if it reached Uraya before they started jamming us?"

Optimus grumbled something long and explicit before checking on the location of the Protectobots. They had opted to stay hidden under a piece of levelled road, although it was quickly being turned into dust by laser fire. Apparently, Shockwave was determined to bring Optimus out into the open.

The Autobot leader was more than happy to oblige.

"Stay here. I'll be back with First Aid."

Trailbreaker opened his mouth to object, and Optimus shot him a 'don't argue with me' look before positioning himself at the edge of their cover. He remembered an old technique that Kup said he always used; count to three, then run like crazy. The other one was 'rush 'em and pray', but that didn't seem relevant here.

One.

Two.

Three.

Optimus leapt out and transformed as he flew threw the air, slamming to the ground with a crash. It was times such as these that Optimus was glad for his alternative mode of a heavily armoured Cybertronian truck; it allowed him to traverse almost any terrain. Optimus darted from left to right, hoping to avoid as many of Shockwave's blasts as he could.

Hot Spot saw his plight and directed the other Protectobots to lay down some cover fire, aiming for the general direction the blasts were coming from. While it was doubtful that they would actually _hit _Shockwave, it would stop him from hitting Prime until he got to them.

The red truck landed with a thud next to them and transformed into the Autobot leader they all trusted with their lives.

"Perceptor's hurt bad. He could die if not treated soon," he said, glancing at First Aid as he talked to Hot Spot.

The Protectobot leader nodded and turned to his team. "Listen up, Protectobots! We've got an injured mech over there! So we make sure that First Aid makes it across! Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" came the unified response.

"I can't hear you, femmes!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

Hot Spot nodded and turned to Optimus. "Ready, Prime."

"All right. Autobots, move out!"

Optimus once again charged forward and transformed, the Protectobots following suit and forming a 'Transformer shield' in front of First Aid, the three land-based 'Bots encasing him on the ground, while Blades shielded him from the air.

After a few bumps and knocks, they finally arrived at their destination next to Trailbreaker and Perceptor. Just as Groove entered and Streetwise was about to follow, an explosion flared up in front of the Protectobot, knocking him onto his aft and skidding away. Groove turned in a panic, trying to go out to him.

"Streets!"

Hot Spot grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him to the ground.

"Keep your head, Groove. I'll get him."

Before Optimus could object, Hot Spot had leapt out into the battlefield again, expertly dodging laser blasts and explosions as he made his way towards Streetwise' offline form. Prime turned to the other Protectobots.

"Cover fire! Now!"

As though knocked out of a daze, the Autobot team got to laying down some cover fire for the Protectobot leader. Optimus silently cursed. Shockwave was bound to get a lock on them soon, cover fire or no cover fire.

Suddenly, a shadow descended upon them, and the entire Autobot squad cheered as they recognised the form of Sky Lynx coming in for a landing.

"All aboard, chaps!"

Optimus turned to his troops.

"Go! Trailbreaker, help me carry Perceptor!"

In a flurry of motion that Optimus could barely remember, the Autobots boarded Sky Lynx and were nearly bowled over as he shot off and away from the city of Vos.

The Protectobots all but fell into sitting and laying positions around Sky Lynx's interior with the exception of First Aid, who was working feverishly to keep Perceptor alive. Prime knelt beside them.

"How is he?"

The Protectobot shook his head. "Despite what my name might imply, I'm still not too experienced at this. I can keep him alive for a little while, but we'd better get to Uraya soon."

Optimus looked up. "Sky Lynx?"

"Say no more, Optimus!"

The Autobots nearly fell over yet again as Sky Lynx increased speed.

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Optimus stared with slightly dull optics through the observation window. He was leaning against the frame of the window with one arm raised above his head, the other planted firmly on his hip. The surgeons had worked hard, and it had been touch and go for awhile, but they had managed to save Perceptor. Not that that made Prime feel any better about putting him in that position in the first place. He sighed and let his head fall against his raised forearm. He was feeling tired, and his limbs felt heavy.

"You should go and get a recharge," a soft voice insisted, and Optimus turned to see Trailbreaker looking up at him.

"I'd like to," Prime replied, pushing himself off he wall, "but I've got reports to read, and I need to talk to Ultra Magnus about the-"

"No you don't. You _need _to rest. Go to your quarters and at least _try_. Okay?"

Prime sighed. "Right. Call me if his condition changes," he said, nodding at the offline form of Perceptor.

"No problem. Now… _go_."

With a small smile, Optimus nodded and made his way to the elevator to take him to his quarters. Once there, he dimmed the lights and sat on his recharge bed, unwilling to lie down and go into recharge mode just yet. Something was niggling at the back of his head, and he knew exactly what. Why were they sent to a city that had no strategic value whatsoever?

Maybe it wasn't strategic. Perhaps there was something _in _the city itself that they were after.

Optimus sighed.

_Or maybe you're becoming as paranoid as Red Alert._

He looked over at the holo-picture on his desk. Optimus wanted to be with her. To hold her. Just to talk to her would be a luxury at this point. He had heard so little from the situation in Polyhex, and wished he could be there now with her and Ultra Magnus.

Slowly and reluctantly, he lay down on his recharge bed and allowed his optics to switch off.

_Optimus._

A pause.

…_Sentinel Prime?_

An incessant beeping interrupted his thoughts. Optimus quickly sat up and searched around the room. It was the comm on his desk. Sending the device a glare that would have made Inferno cower, he pushed himself up from his bed and made his way over. He accepted the call.

"Optimus Prime."

"_I don't think you need to be so formal."_

Optimus quickly sat down. "Magnus?"

The City Commander smiled. _"How are you?"_

"As well as can be expected."

"_How did the battle in Vos go?"_

Prime pinched his thumb and forefinger on his nasal ridge. "Not well."

"_Any casualties?"_

The Autobot leader sighed. "Fifteen. We almost lost Perceptor, but Sky Lynx arrived in the nick of time."

Magnus shook his head in disgust. _"Fifteen… what are they thinking?"_

"I don't know. I think there's more significance to Vos than meets the optic."

"_Maybe."_

Optimus cocked his head slightly. "And you? How are the preparations in Polyhex going?" He paused. "Is Elita with you?"

"_No."_

"Is she all right?"

Magnus smiled. _"Calm down, Prime. She's fine. But I'm not at Polyhex. I'm at Iacon."_

"Iacon? What're you doing there?"

"_The same reason the Council wants you here."_

"Me? Why?"

"_I'm not…"_ Magnus jaw mechanism moved from side to side, showing his distaste for the situation. _"…authorised to tell you that. You'll have to find out for yourself when you arrive."_

"But… I can't leave now. We barely survived the battle at Vos."

"_I know, Prime, but… there's not much we can do about it right now."_ He paused. _"I'm sorry."_

Optimus rubbed his forehead. "It's… it's all right. Tell them I'll be there as soon as I've recharged."

"_They were **very** insistent it be now, Optimus."_

"Then they'll have to wait, won't they?"

Ultra Magnus grinned and saluted. _"Aye, sir."_

"I'll see you when I get there."

"_Right."_

Optimus terminated the connection and leant back in his chair.

They'd already sent him on a death mission. What on Cybertron did they want with him now?

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As Shockwave passed the Decepticons in the corridor, he couldn't help but note the looks of smug satisfaction on their faces. Obviously they knew something about Megatron's mood that he didn't.

"Hey, Shockwave; if you don't come out, can I have your quarters?" Skywarp asked, prompting a low snicker from Thundercracker.

The purple Decepticon chose to ignore them. There would be little logic in responding to such jibes. Without hesitation, he walked into the command center.

And promptly ducked as a chair sailed through the air towards him. As Shockwave got to his feet, he heard Megatron's voice bellowing forth, obviously (and thankfully) directed at someone else.

"What do you mean, they were ready for us?"

"_I mean they were ready for us!"_ Astrotrain exclaimed. Shockwave slowly entered the room, and noticed Soundwave stood behind Megatron. The communications officer offered him a nod of acknowledgement and nothing more.

"_What are your orders, Megatron?"_

Megatron folded his arms, his anger under control for the moment. "Stop your advance, but hold the line. We will not lose any more ground to the Autobots. Not when we're so close."

"_As you command."_

"And I will be joining you personally. Ultra Magnus has spat in my optic for the last time."

Astrotrain paused, and then simply nodded. _"Astrotrain, out."_

The Decepticon leader silently fumed for a moment, and seemed as though he were about to say something to Soundwave when he spotted Shockwave stood behind him.

"Ah, Shockwave. How went the battle at Vos?"

"Very well, Megatron," Shockwave replied, his voice in ever even tones as he spoke, handing over the datapad that contained his report. "By our count, sixteen Autobots down."

"Excellent," Megatron sneered, his mood improving. "Was one of these casualties Optimus Prime?"

"I am afraid not."

The Decepticon leader shrugged. "Ah, well. Perhaps next time, eh?" he said, smirking as he put a hand on Shockwave's shoulder.

"Yes, Megatron."

The smile faded from Megatron's face. Shockwave often had that effect on him. He never seemed to enjoy anything. The only emotion he ever displayed openly was one of distaste if someone's actions weren't logical. If Megatron had been of a less controlled disposition, he would most likely have blasted Shockwave's head off eons ago.

"Very good, Shockwave. Begin the excavation project as soon as possible."

"…Megatron, if I may speak freely."

The Decepticon leader paused for a moment. "… Go on."

"There is little logic in excavating the ruins of Vos. It would be far more logical to repair our forces and move onto the next target."

Megatron smiled and shook his head. "I have my reasons, Shockwave. Now go."

The purple Decepticon seemed ready to say more, but seemingly decided against it. "Yes, Megatron."

And with that, the Decepticon turned and left the command center. The doors slid shut behind him, and Megatron turned to Soundwave.

"A good soldier, but I wish he would take some joy in his work."

A small smile crossed Soundwave's face beneath his faceplate.

"Any word from Laserbeak or Buzzsaw?"

Soundwave nodded. "Optimus Prime has been called to Iacon for a meeting with the Autobot Council of Elders."

Megatron grinned. "The old fools… do we know why?"

"Negative."

He waved a dismissive hand. "No matter. The important thing is that his departure leaves Uraya most vulnerable to attack. While I am at Polyhex, begin drawing up plans for an attack."

Soundwave nodded. "As you command, Megatron."

"Tell Starscream he is in command until I return. This should be quite the experience for him; so far he's only used to commanding the Seekers."

"He may not be up to the task."

Megatron smirked. "We shall see, won't we? Now," he said, clapping a heavy hand on Soundwave's shoulder, "let us enjoy some Energon before I leave for battle!"

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Optimus transformed into robot mode and stretched uncomfortably as he reached the entrance to the Council chambers. He must have recharged in an awkward position; his gears were aching something fierce.

He nodded to various Autobots he barely knew as he entered the foyer area, and to some he didn't know at all. But then, finally, a familiar red, white and blue Autobot appeared from the chamber doors.

"Prime!" he said, smiling as he spotted Optimus. It had been a while since the two had seen each other in the metal, and it was a pleasant experience for both concerned.

"Magnus," Prime said, gratefully shaking hands with the City Commander. "They seem to have changed things since I was here last."

Magnus smirked. "More than you know."

Optimus cocked an optic ridge. "Do I find out what this is all about now?"

He nodded. "Of course, but first, you need to meet an old friend who'll be helping you in this endeavour," he said, smiling as he gestured behind him.

"Old friend…?" Optimus asked, incredulity creasing his features. His optics widened as a stocky red Autobot stepped through the doorway, a wry smirk on his face.

"Ironhide!" the Autobot leader exclaimed, surprised at the volume of his own voice in the huge chamber.

"How ya doin', Prime?"

"How am I doing? How are _you _doing? Things at the Dead End not working out for you?"

The old 'Bot waved a dismissive hand. "Aw, hell no. They were too nice to me. You know ah need to get the circuit boards knocked out of me every now and again!"

"All too well, old friend," Prime replied, grinning widely beneath his faceplate. "So, do _you _know what this is all about?"

"Yup. But the old fellas'll probably get mad at me if _ah_ tell ya, so… after you," he said, grandly gesturing to the open doors leading into the Autobot Council chambers.

Optimus paused for a moment before cautiously going inside. He had never liked going into the Autobot Council chambers, ever since he had accidentally wandered in there as Orion Pax. Of course, the second time he had gone in there had been even worse. Alpha Trion, who was considered something of a loose cannon by the Council, had presented him to them as Optimus Prime, the saviour of the Autobots.

Needless to say, Optimus hadn't been too fond of the title. And neither had the Council. Not wanting 'war-mongerers' (as they had put it) in command of all Autobots, the Council had denied Trion's request to give all control of the Autobot forces to Prime. Although it wasn't his place to think in such a way, Optimus often wondered if things would have ended up worse of better if he _had _been given command.

The chamber was huge, even by Transformer standards. The roof was domed and transparent (one way, of course, to protect against prying optics), allowing a view out to the stars. There was a large podium where the seven Autobot Elders sat in a semi circle, which was naturally raised above the subject of their attention.

Optimus hated it. But it was a 'necessary evil', or so Elita had said. Optimus wasn't so sure.

He and Ironhide made their way to the center where a spotlight was focused on them. Ultra Magnus stood just off to the side, obviously not involved in this request as much as Ironhide was to be.

"Optimus Prime," a voice boomed, and the Autobot leader nearly jumped.

Nearly.

He hadn't even seen or heard the elders come in.

"What's this about?" Prime asked, not particularly impressed or intimidated by theatrics. "I have wounded Autobots back at Uraya-"

"Silence! You have been brought here at the Autobot Council's request. You do not have the authority to speak to us in such a manner."

Optimus bit back his response.

"Now, the matter at hand. You may or may not be aware of the dire straits our Energon supply has been placed under by the war."

"I am aware."

"Unfortunately, the situation is far worse than even _you_ know."

Prime frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Within the next five astro cycles, all of our Energon will be gone. Both _ours_, and the Decepticons."

Optimus was silent, waiting for them to continue.

"We initially discussed negotiating with the Decepticons, but we were… dissuaded from that option."

Prime smiled. Ultra Magnus probably threatened to blow up the building when he found out.

"And so… we are left with no other option but to send a team of Autobots into space to find another source of Energon."

The Autobot leader remained silent.

"We want you to lead the mission."

Optimus had to fight to stop his jaw component dropping. "Me? Why?"

"Because you are the best suited for such a mission."

"No, I'm not. I was rebuilt by Alpha Trion to fight. That's what I was designed for, and that's what I'm best at. I'm not an explorer."

"I would think, Optimus Prime," an old, raspy voice said from the darkness, "that the one who created you would have some say in what you are best at."

Optimus looked over to his left and made out the figure of Alpha Trion.

"While you may have the body and capabilities of a warrior, you have the spark of an explorer, a scholar… that is why you were chosen by the Matrix, and that is why you were chosen for this mission."

One of the Council members made a displeased noise. "While we cannot speak for… the Matrix… we do concur with Alpha Trion's reasoning. You are best suited for this mission."

Optimus gestured to Magnus. "But surely someone like Ultra Magnus, or-"

"Enough! You have both been chosen for this mission," one member said, referring to both Prime and Ironhide. "Choose whoever you wish to accompany you, but do not refute that you _are _going to lead this mission."

The leader of the Autobots sighed. "You do realise that the amount of Energon needed to power such a ship would leave Cybertron with little to no power."

"It appears, Optimus Prime," Alpha Trion interrupted gently, now beside him, "that we have little choice."

Prime shook his head, his hands on his hips.

They were right.

As much as he hated them for it, they were right.

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"It's ridiculous. I should be out fighting at Polyhex, not sitting around at some bar discussing options for a spaceship crew."

Ironhide smiled, saying nothing.

Prime took a sip of Energon through his faceplate, a miracle of physics that had always fascinated Ironhide, but he had never enquired about. But now definitely wasn't the time.

"'Best suited for the mission…'" Prime snorted derisively. "That's not even the real reason they're sending me away. It's because of Alpha Trion's 'saviour of Cybertron' nonsense. If he had been quiet, the Council probably wouldn't have taken such an instant dislike to me, and we wouldn't even be in this predicament."

Ironhide shook his head. "Well, no use complainin' about stuff you can't change."

The Autobot leader smiled and shook his head. "You're right. You're right, I'm sorry."

"Ah, no problem. If you can't vent to your oldest buddy, who can you vent to?"

"True enough." Optimus took an absent minded look around the bar. A small yellow Minibot was frantically running around delivering drinks, and doing a pretty efficient job of it, too, considering his size. Prime turned back to Ironhide, who was scrolling through a datapad in front of him. "What's that?" he enquired, nodding at the 'pad.

"List a' names. Ah figured since we're lookin' for crew members, we'll be needin' a list a' some kind. Speakin' o' which… you got anybody in mind?"

"Trailbreaker, definitely. And Perceptor's already volunteered as engineer."

"Engineer?"

Optimus nodded. "Yes. Apparently, an old friend of his from the Cybertronian Science Institute was lost on an exploration mission."

"Hopin' for a reunion, huh?"

"Well, here's hoping," the leader replied, toasting with his Energon container.

"Right. That's three spots filled. Anyone else?"

Prime smiled and shook his head at the not so subtle hint. "We'll need a security officer… I wonder," he said, tapping his chin exaggeratedly. "Elita?"

"Oh, haw, haw. All right, four spaces filled. What else?"

"That's all. The rest are blanks."

"Okay. Well, first up is the second in command."

Optimus thought for a moment. "I can't think of anyone."

"Trailbreaker?"

"No. I want him where he is."

"Anyone else?"

After a pause, Optimus shook his head. "We'll have to come back to it."

Ironhide nodded, and scrolled down the list. He looked back up at Optimus. "Medical Officer?"

"Hmm… we _could _take First Aid, but he hasn't had much experience… an exploration mission might be too much, too soon." He looked up at Ironhide. "Do you have any ideas?"

He grinned instantaneously. "Ah know just the mech."

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(A/N: Guess who he's talking about. Go on, guess.

Reviews are welcomed and nurtured. : )


	2. New Developments

Disclaimer: I don't own _Transformers._

_**Desperate Measures**_

**_Chapter Two: New Developments_**

The hospital, as usual, was incredibly busy. Ironhide had never been particularly comfortable near repair bays or anything of the like. Perhaps it was because he had spent so much time there over his considerable lifespan. Or maybe it was the fact that Ironhide liked to be control of his situation, to be able to grab it by the electro-horns and wrestle it into submission.

And if there was one thing he could not do while he was in a hospital, it was be in control.

It wasn't that he didn't trust the doctors; far from it. The doctor they were now on their way to see was one of the few Autobots that Ironhide would trust not only with his life, but with someone else's. It was that he had never, and probably never would, understand medicine, be it Transformer or organic, and though he would never admit it to anyone, this lack of knowledge scared him. He had no idea what was going on when any medic was repairing him, from wounds both minor and nigh-on fatal.

Kup was the only person he ever told. He had promptly told him to stop whining.

Looking back on the moment, Ironhide couldn't agree more with Kup's assessment. It was best to just put it out of his head.

He looked over at Optimus, whose expression was blank, as always. But Ironhide had learnt over the astrocycles to see through his leader's faceplate, and the façade he put on when in front of the Autobots who worked under him. In public, Optimus would be reserved, controlled and confident. Behind closed doors, his proud posture would slump and he would become the more everyday 'Bot that Ironhide knew him to be; a slightly insecure Autobot who had quite the temper if provoked.

But it was all so well hidden, few outside of Ironhide, Kup, Elita and Ultra Magnus could see it. Ironhide smiled at all the times that young upstart Autobots had given Prime attitude and had no idea how close to death they had been.

"Prime!"

The two looked up to see Trailbreaker approaching from down the corridor.

"He's in room 4A."

The Autobot leader nodded and followed Trailbreaker. Ironhide looked over at the black Autobot.

"So how're things at Uraya?"

Something flashed across Optimus' optics, but he said nothing. Trailbreaker frowned.

"The Autobots are all repaired, but all signs point to the Decepticons moving on to Uraya after they're done with Polyhex."

Ironhide nodded. "Who's taken over command?"

Optimus brought his head up slightly, as though something had just occurred to him, but he didn't want anyone else to notice.

Ironhide glanced at Trailbreaker. Judging by his expression, the black Autobot hadn't seen anything unusual.

"One of Ultra Magnus' mechs," Optimus said, keeping his gaze forward. "Prowl, I think." He paused. "He's doing rather well in the post."

They came to a stop at the entrance to one of the wards. The door slid open and a nurse 'Bot busily rushed past them with a tray of various tools. Optimus stood aside to let her pass before making his way inside, Ironhide and Trailbreaker following.

"Ratchet, eh?" Trailbreaker said, looking around the room.

Ironhide looked over at him. "You've met him?"

"I've just heard rumours," he replied, shrugging. "Mostly about his… unorthodox methods."

"And his bedside manner," Optimus added quietly.

Ironhide put up his hands in mock surrender. "All right, all right. It know it doesn't sound good, but trust me; this mech is the best there is."

A resounding shriek of pain came from Inferno where he lay on one of the operating tables.

"Aaah, quit your belly-achin'! You'd think I was operatin' on a newborn spark!"

"But it hurts, doc!"

"Oh, why didn't ya say so? Because pain isn't a part of what you do at all!"

After shooting Ironhide a 'You were saying?' look, Optimus made his way over to the irritable Autobot. It was a fact that Optimus Prime did most of communicating with looks, whether the recipient understood them or not.

"Look, if you'd just stop wriggling you'd be outta here!"

"Well, maybe if you stopped poking that thing halfway into my leg, I might STOP WRIGGLING!"

"The more you yell at me, the more painful I'll make it!"

"Oh, is that right?"

Ratchet looked up and stared Inferno in the optics, his voice lowering to the most deadly of murmurings. "You're damn right, it is."

Inferno promptly shut up and lay back down. Optimus seemed ready to speak when Ironhide put a hand on his shoulder. The Autobot leader looked over at him questioningly. Ironhide's only response was a warning shake of the head.

Ratchet didn't like to be disturbed while he was working.

Ever.

After pulling away the tool with which he was working, Ratchet made a grunting noise that seemed to indicate he was satisfied with his work.

"There? Now was that so hard, you little femme?"

Inferno said nothing. He just hoisted himself up off the table and made his way out, grumbling something long and very explicit as he went.

Ratchet turned his attention to Optimus, and then spotted Ironhide.

"You're in for repairs _again? _Ah, what the heck did ya do this time, ya-"

Optimus brought up a blue finger. "My apologies. Ironhide is with me." He extended his hand.

"I'm-"

"The great and illustrious Optimus Prime, I know." He turned to his tools, performing some kind of maintenance on them. "And for what grand purpose have you decided to grace me with your presence?"

Ironhide waved Optimus in front of him in a 'go on' gesture. The Autobot leader steeled his resolve and stepped forward.

"The Autobot Council has… requested that I lead a team of Autobots on an expedition into outer space."

"What kind of expedition?"

"I'm afraid that's classified. You'll find out if you agree to come along."

"Well, I'm not likely to come along unless I know what I'll be doing, am I? Am I gonna be repairin' 'Bots that have been ripped to shreds by Regulan Metal Mongers?"

"I should hope not."

Ratchet sighed, and set down one of the tools. He turned to look at Optimus. "Is this a scientific mission?"

"…of a sort, yes."

The medic opticed Prime for a moment and spotted something on his left arm. "Primus. How long have you had that?"

Optimus glanced down at his arm; there was a dent on the elbow joint that had been giving him some trouble, but nothing horrific.

"It's nothing."

"Nothing, my aft. C'mere." He reached out and grabbed the Autobot leader's arm, pulling it towards him.

"Really, it's all r-" Optimus' words were caught in his vocal processor as Ratchet twisted the arm slightly and caused the dent to make a popping noise. Prime inspected his elbow. It was as if it had never been damaged in the first place.

"How did you…?"

Ironhide grinned. "Told ya."

Ratchet leant against the operating table. "The mission is because of the Energon shortage, isn't it?"

Optimus brought his attention back to the conversation. "I can't tell you that."

A small smile appeared, but vanished as quickly as it arrived. "Right."

Optimus straightened his posture. "We need a medic for the crew. Ironhide speaks rather highly of you, as do others I've spoken to. Are you interested?"

Ratchet crossed his arms and bowed his head in thought for a moment. He looked back up at Optimus. "Tell ya what. I'll come aboard _if-_" he added quickly, responding to the smile spreading across Ironhide's face. "_If…_ you do a little favour for me. Okay?"

An optic ridge rose behind Trailbreaker's visor. "What kind of favour?"

"You'll be needing an engineer, right?"

Optimus shook his head. "The position has been filled." He paused. "Why?"

"Because I've got a friend who'd be perfect for the job, and he needs some reason to get out of his lab. He's not just ignoring the war, he's cut himself off from the outside world entirely."

"I see. And if we agreed to take this Autobot-"

"His name's Wheeljack."

"…if we agreed to take _Wheeljack_ as our engineer, you-"

"-will jump on board without complaint."

Now it was Optimus' turn to cross his arms in thought. "I'll consider it."

Trailbreaker came forward to object.

"_If _I can meet him," Prime added, putting up a hand to stop Trailbreaker.

Ratchet nodded, smiling. "All right. His lab's in sector 24."

Ironhide frowned. "That's it?"

"Don't worry. You won't be able to miss it if you tried." He smirked evilly. "Just look for the weird coloured explosions."

This time, it wasn't just Ironhide who could see the expression on Optimus' face.

It was one that seemed to say; 'What have I gotten myself into?'

It made Ratchet grin like a maniac.

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Elita One was a maniac.

Springer had decided. It had taken him a while to come to this well thought out and eminently intelligent realisation, but now he had finally reached the conclusion that Elita One was a completely and totally insane.

How else does one describe an Autobot who will run into the path of _Megatron's _fusion cannon for no other reason than to piss him off?

Maybe Optimus Prime was insane too, behind closed doors. That would explain a lot. Like, for instance, why he wasn't here helping them in battle but rather off doing something else that Ultra Magnus wasn't permitted to talk about.

"Wise Autobot Council, my aft."

"You say somethin'?"

Springer glanced over his large shoulder at Powerglide, who was busy inserting another power cartridge into his weapon.

"Nothing. Just wondering why the Autobot Council – being the great sages that they are – have elected to send us to this Primus forsaken city."

"Oh. Well, as long as it's nothing."

A tight smile spread across the triple changer's lip components.

"Okay… you ready?" he asked, preparing to leap out from under the toppled Autobot transport.

"Y'know… I'd feel a whole lot better waiting here for a better opening."

"Waiting is for femmes, my friend."

"Like that one, you mean?" Powerglide asked, pointing across the battlefield at Elita One, who was dancing between laser blasts as she darted from one but of cover to another.

"Good point. But still, if we wait here, someone's bound to spot us, and knowing your luck, it'll be Megatron."

Powerglide looked at his scorched back plating and sighed. "Fine. But I'd like the record to say that I didn't want to."

"Duly noted."

"So which way are we goin'? To our left, where Red Alert is currently talking Warpath's audio sensors off about tactical errors, or to our right, where we have the aforementioned crazy femme attracting all sorts of hell?"

Springer rubbed his optics. "You know, you make a mech _not_ want to jump into the line of fire."

"It's a gift."

The Wrecker looked from one end of the battle field to the other. "You know what? Screw it. I'm going to go for the femme."

"Hey, it's the way I always wanted to die."

With a grim smile and a shake of his head, Springer decided that he was a maniac as well.

"Okay, on three. One, two… three!"

Springer launched himself into the air using his powerful legs, being careful not to go too high as to attract the attention of the Cone-head seekers, but not too low to be caught in the crossfire. Behind him he could hear the low pitch whine of Powerglide's engine as he flew at the same height.

He prepared himself for a landing and slammed to the ground, quickly going into a roll to get behind cover, joining Kup there.

"What took you, lad?" he said without looking at him, dipping his head around the corner and firing off a few sporadic shots.

"Just a little debate. Speaking of which…"

Springer turned in time for Powerglide to crash into him, knocking them both to the ground.

Powerglide pushed himself off with a grunt. "See? Piece a' oil cake."

"Yeah. Real easy."

"Oh, no…"

The two looked over at Kup, who had since stopped firing. Elita One dashed in, slightly breathless.

"What in the name of Primus are _they_ doing there? They're _supposed _to be on the other side of the planet!"

Kup shook his head, his face a mix of confusion and fear. "Cosmos said they were!"

Elita peeked around the side of the cover. "I hope to Primus that Ultra Magnus was able to get to that stockpile in time."

Springer got up to look around, and Powerglide looked between the two. "Why? What's going on?"

The triple changer looked over at him.

"Looks like Devastator's decided to join the party."

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"Slag it! Take cover!"

Ultra Magnus quickly darted to his right, smashing down a door that once led into someone's office. Purple laser fire flashed past, bathing the room in its' brilliant hue.

Blitzwing and Octane had been effectively stalking them through the corridors of the building since they had first seen Magnus and Smokescreen enter it. They had been looking for the secret weapons stockpile that Magnus had planted in the city in case the battle didn't go their way.

Which, upon Megatron's arrival, it really wasn't.

Smokescreen had ducked into the room opposite, which had actually turned out to be a janitorial closet. He would occasionally poke his head out to fire off some shots, but for the most part, they were both pinned down.

The City Commander carefully walked over to the doorway and peeked around, firing his rifle the entire time. As Blitzwing and Octane took cover, Magnus quickly surveyed the area for any ways in which they might lose their pursuers. He looked above the two, and saw a very unstable ceiling.

He ceased fire and waited for the two triple changers to resume firing. Magnus fired one of his shoulder missiles at the ceiling above their heads, and ducked back into the office. Smokescreen winced as he heard the heavy metal collapse on their enemies, their yelps almost comical.

Smokescreen smirked grimly and nodded his way, and the two continued out into the corridor, turning right before the pile of groaning rubble before them.

They reached a door roughly twice the size of the others in the complex, with a small control panel next to it. Magnus punched in his clearance code and the doors loudly slid open, coming to a halt with a loud clang. The two made their way in, and Smokescreen saw to closing the doors behind them while Magnus prepared the missile launcher.

Usually, it would take four Autobots or so to push the launcher into the correct position, but with Ultra Magnus enhanced strength, it was an easy enough task for the two of them to take care of.

The City Commander looked through the rectangular slit in the wall and grimaced.

"Load it up quick, Smokescreen. Devastator's arrived."

Smokescreen nodded and opened the hatch at the back of the cannon, quickly inserting a missile.

He fired it, the missile roaring into life in midair, freeing itself of its protective casing before rocketing into the gestalt.

It exploded with a brilliant flash, and Ultra Magnus could have sworn he could hear some Autobots down below whooping for joy. After exchanging a quick smile with Smokescreen, he handed him the next missile.

Devastator wasn't giving up. The missile blast had only knocked him off balance, and now he was making his way to the source of the attack.

Smokescreen fired again. This time, Devastator's hand came up impossibly quick and batted the missile into the air, where it exploded above the gestalt's head. He continued coming straight at them.

"We _may _need another plan," Smokescreen noted.

A giant purple hand crashed through the wall, grabbing the missile launcher and tossing it into the middle of the battlefield. Although they knew it was futile, Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen opened fire on him regardless, hoping they would somehow get lucky. The hand continued forward, unimpeded by their laser blasts.

Then, the hand began to pull away. As it went, it seemed to increase in speed until Devastator was completely gone from their line of vision. Magnus and Smokescreen frowned at each other, confused. That was, until a booming voice assaulted their audio receptors.

"ASSISTANCE: OFFERED. DEVASTATOR'S CHANCES OF SURVIVAL: NEGLIGIBLE."

If such a thing were possible, a goofy grin would have crossed Ultra Magnus' face.

"Any time, Supreme."

If the hulking sentry acknowledged him, Ultra Magnus couldn't see it. Omega Supreme just continued forward at Devastator, who was picking himself up off the floor. The gestalt swung a huge fist at its opponent, who merely caught it in a claw like hand.

Magnus nodded at Smokescreen, indicating that they should get down to ground level and reunite with the rest of the troops.

Supreme brought about his laser cannon hand, and fired it at Devastator's shoulder joint, blasting it off. Yowling in pain, Scavenger transformed and fell into stasis before he even hit the ground. This seemed to send a shockwave of sorts through to the rest of the Constructicons, as Devastator's form began to fluctuate and shudder.

Omega Supreme swung his claw like hand around again, nailing Devastator in the chin and knocking it on its back, where the gestalt fell apart. Supreme continued his attack, attempting to crush, bludgeon, or blast the Constructicons as they fled the area.

Down on the battlefield, Powerglide turned to Springer, smirking.

"Told ya."

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Reflector thought that Megatron's jaw would separate from his head if he clenched it any tighter. It was quite the remarkable experience, actually. Megatron had gone from serious tactics to cackling smugness, and then to quiet, fuming rage.

The Decepticons spy knew which state of emotions was the most dangerous.

"What are your orders, Megatron?"

He didn't respond.

Reflector paused, and then decided to repeat the question.

"Megatron?"

"My orders are to get away!"

The small Decepticons leapt slightly and ran for cover. After looking around the area, Megatron transformed into his alternate mode of a Cybertronian tank.

A strange noise began to fill his audio receptors, as though all sounds were being pulled away from him. He looked over at Megatron, only then realising what he was planning to do.

He promptly took cover much further away from the Decepticon leader.

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Ultra Magnus skidded to a halt next to Elita, peeking over their makeshift cover.

"Why have they stopped firing?" Elita asked quietly, moving her head this way and that in an effort to see what was going on.

"I'm not sure… I-" his words caught in his vocal processor, and he brought up his wrist, activating his comm unit.

"Tracks, this is Ultra Magnus. Come in, Tracks."

Static filled the screen for a moment, but was eventually replaced by the grey and red face of Tracks.

"_Yes?"_

"See if you can get a look at what Megatron's doing, would you?"

"_I'll try my best, Magnus, which, as you know, is pretty damn good."_

"Right…" Magnus mumbled.

There was a brief pause as Tracks had a look with his optic enhancer visor, and then was back just as quickly.

"_Magnus, I might suggest Omega Supreme make a hasty retreat."_

"Why? What's going on?"

Tracks was silent for a moment. _"Megatron is preparing to channel a black hole."_

Ultra Magnus, Elita One, and everybody around them froze. Megatron had only channelled a black hole twice before, and each time he had almost died, at least according to their sources. But the devastation he would cause with just one blast…

The City Commander looked at his other troops, and then activated his comm.

"Omega Supreme, come in."

No reply.

"Omega! Respond! You're in danger!"

"_DANGER: MINIMAL. CONSTRUCTICONS: RETREATING."_

"The Constructicons aren't the only thing to worry ab-"

Omega Supreme cut the channel.

"Dammit!" Magnus angrily slammed the button deactivating his comm device.

Springer looked at the battlefield, then at Magnus.

"What's the plan?"

He shrugged. "There's nothing we can do, at least for Omega. If we try and stop him, either he'll trample us on his way to the Constructicons or a Decepticon will get a lucky shot in. And none of us could reach Megatron in time, or guarantee that they could stop him from firing if they _did _reach him."

Elita nodded. "Then that means we have to get all other Autobots in the area out of the line of fire." She lifted her wrist to her lip components, activating her comm. "All right, Autobots, listen up! Megatron's about to fire something pretty nasty at Omega Supreme, and it'll probably take anyone near him with it! Let's move it, Autobots!"

Autobots all over the battlefield emerged from their hiding places and moved away from Omega Supreme, hoping that whatever cover they chose was far enough away to hide them from Megatron's blast.

Suddenly, all noise from the battlefield seemed to drain away.

It was the usual precursor to Megatron firing his cannon, even when it wasn't powered by a black hole. The effect was just so minimal when he was using it normally, it was barely noticeable.

"Everyone on the ground!" Kup yelled, leaping down himself and covering his head with his hands.

Megatron fired.

There was barely any noise to accompany it; just a sound like something slicing through the air. Something that sounded like it could cut through anything.

Then, all the noises of the battlefield suddenly returned. Magnus slowly peeked around the side, and saw a shadow creeping over them as Omega Supreme fell back onto them, a gaping hole in his chest. Ultra Magnus quickly turned.

"MOVE!"

The group of Autobots all ran or transformed out of the way before the giant of an Autobot crashed to the ground, making what seemed to be the entire city shake.

Magnus and the others dove behind a bare skeleton of a building.

"Everyone okay?"

They all nodded an affirmative, checking themselves and each other over for damage.

With a grimace, Ultra Magnus brought his comm to his lip components.

"All Autobots; prepare to retreat."

Kup came forward. "What about Omega Supreme? We can't just leave him out there!"

Ultra Magnus cocked an optic ridge as he looked down at the elder Autobot. "Do you know anyone who can carry him?"

Kup was silent, although his frustration was evident.

The City Commander sadly turned to his troops.

"I'm sorry, everyone. But it looks like Polyhex is a lost cause."

Springer crossed his arms. "One down, two to go," he muttered.

Perhaps someone should have reprimanded him for the comment.

But no-one did. Mostly because they were feeling the same thing. The Decepticons had been winning battle after battle for too long now.

And it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon.

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(A/N: Not much to add to this except… review!)


	3. Scientifically Sound

Disclaimer: I don't own _Transformers._

_**Desperate Measures**_

_**Chapter Three: Scientifically Sound**_

"Are you sure about this, Prime?" Trailbreaker asked, looking around the area with a decidedly dubious look on his face. He wasn't one for impulsive actions. Since the post had been promised to Perceptor, he should be the one to get it. As good a medic as Ratchet was, Trailbreaker didn't want to take the risk including some inept, absent minded scientist as their engineer. After all, they didn't know how long they would be in space; they didn't want the ship breaking down with no way to fix it.

"I know what you're thinking, Trailbreaker," Prime said, keeping his gaze ahead. "But I'm only meeting with him. If I don't think he's suitable, I won't use him, Ratchet or no Ratchet."

Ironhide seemed ready to protest.

"_However_," Prime quickly added, "if this Wheeljack is capable of performing the job, then… I'm afraid Perceptor will have to stay behind. But _only _if he's right for the job," he said, emphasising the point to Ironhide.

Trailbreaker frowned. While Prime's reasoning was sound, he had a habit of letting sentimentality influence his judgement. He wouldn't consider it out of character for Prime to accept Wheeljack even if he _wasn't _up to snuff.

Optimus, meanwhile, was trying to ignore the smell that was gradually assaulting his olfactory sensors. He tried to hide his grimace as he glanced at both Ironhide and Trailbreaker, neither of which seemed to have noticed.

"Can either of you two…?"

They both looked at him curiously, as though nothing were wrong.

"…never mind."

They continued walking.

Suddenly, Ironhide scowled and waved a hand in front of his face. "Ah, for the love of- what in the name of Primus is that _smell?"_

Trailbreaker frowned. "What s- oh! Primus, that's disgusting!"

As they went deeper and deeper into sector 24 searching for Wheeljacks' lab, the smell only got stronger.

The sound of an explosion filled the air, and the trio looked up to see a bright, luminescent green cloud burst forth from one of the buildings.

"Ah. That must be one of the 'funny coloured explosions' that Ratchet was referring to."

They headed in the direction of the explosion. To Ironhide's increasingly vocal horror, the smell was becoming stronger the closer they came to the lab.

A loud clanging noise could be heard through the dome shaped metal lab, the noise continuously echoing out through the corridors.

Optimus reached out and pressed the door chime button.

No response.

He pushed the button again.

And again, no response.

The Autobot leader looked from Ironhide to Trailbreaker, and then back to the door. With a shrug, he reached out and knocked on the door.

And that's when it blew off its' hinges.

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Starscream irritably threw the datapad away, letting it fall off the edge of the desk. Since Megatron had gone away to Polyhex and Shockwave was still at Vos leading the excavation, he was in charge, and everyone was coming to him with their little niggles and problems.

Who would have thought power could be so boring?

He pushed himself up from the desk and looked out the window of his office, surveying the Decepticon capital of Kaon. Several transports had arrived from the battle at Polyhex with wounded, but nothing serious. There was one, however, that seemed of utmost importance, but he hadn't been able to see.

Something was strange about the whole situation, though. Decepticons were telling him they had won the battle. If that was true, where was Megatron? And if he had been killed in battle, why hadn't he been informed?

He growled in frustration.

After one more distasteful glance at the reports scattered across his desk, Starscream decided to head down to the med bay and find out just what was going on.

He passed by several Decepticons on the way down, offering no more than a nod or a curt statement of their name if he knew them, like Thundercracker and Skywarp.

Astrotrain came around the corner, his head down as he walked the corridor. Starscream cocked an optic ridge.

"Astrotrain. Just the Decepticon I was looking for."

"What?" he snapped, looking the seeker directly in the optic.

He wasn't particularly affected by the sudden display of emotion. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to Megatron at Polyhex, would you?"

The triple changer didn't reply for the shortest of moments. And then;

"If you want information, go down to the med bay and ask him yourself." He smirked grimly. "If he's able to talk, that is."

The purple and grey mech continued on his way. Starscream watched him go, wondering just what had happened to the Decepticon leader.

He set off at a slightly quicker pace.

A few minutes later, he burst through the doors of the med bay, having increased his pace to a full on sprint as his curiosity had slowly overcome him.

There, lying on an operation table with the Constructicons working feverishly around him, was Megatron, his optics flickering in and out of stasis lock.

"What happened?" Starscream asked, strangely finding that the sight gave him more confidence, rather than less.

Scrapper turned to look at him before quickly getting back to his patient. "He channelled a black hole to take down Omega Supreme."

The seeker smirked. "Isn't that Devastator's job?"

They didn't reply.

"Will he survive?" There was no hint of emotion in his voice, and that surprised Starscream too.

"Yes, but only if we can operate _without distraction. _So get out of my O.R!"

His smirk only intensifying, Starscream turned and left the room. Slowly, he had made his way to the command center to talk to whichever communications officer was on duty.

He didn't realise how much he liked being in charge until he saw Megatron on the operation table. It meant that, Shockwave aside, he was in command. He was the leader of the Decepticons.

And he liked it.

The doors to the command center slid open as he reached them, and he saw the three Reflectors working at the communication station.

"Starscream," they said in unison. "Should we contact Shockwave and tell him to return?"

Starscream thought on the matter for a moment. Then, he looked over at the command chair that overlooked the room. Slowly, he made his way up and sat down, enjoying the power that accompanied the action. It was a comfortable chair. It seemed to mould itself to his body, as thought it were… made for him.

Made for _him._ He liked that.

"There's no hurry."

"Sir?"

"I am more than capable of taking care of things in Megatron's… absence." He leant forward, looking at the holo-map that was suspended above them all in the top right hand corner of the room.

"And the first order of business… is a city called Uraya."

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Using quick reflexes, Ironhide pulled Optimus aside as the heavy metal door exploded of its' hinges, skidding across the ground before grinding to a halt.

"Um… thank you," Optimus said, looking slightly humbled by the fact that he had almost been killed not by Megatron, not by Shockwave, but by a door.

Trailbreaker cautiously peeked inside, checking for any signs of life.

"Hmm," an absent minded voice emerged, "that's not right. Maybe if I _decreased _the matter gain rather than _increased…_"

Optimus made his way into the doorway, and nodded his head to indicate that the others should follow before going completely into the lab.

Somewhat reluctantly, they both complied.

Wheeljack himself was working away on something on the table in front of him, sparks flying in every direction as he used a laser welder, quietly murmuring to himself about different settings.

Optimus cleared his vocal unit, and waited for a response.

The engineer continued his work.

Prime looked to Ironhide, who just shrugged. Trailbreaker seemed equally clueless. Optimus sighed.

"Excuse me."

Wheeljack still didn't respond. After straightening his back slightly, Optimus walked over to the scientist and put a hand on his shoulder. He yelped loudly, sending the laser welder spinning wildly into the air. He juggled the tool as he struggled to catch it.

Optimus snatched it from Wheeljack's fumbling grasp and handed it back to him. Cautiously looking over Optimus and his companions, he slowly took the welder.

"Thanks."

"My pleasure."

He paused for a moment. "Can I help you with something?" he asked, neural diodes flashing with every word.

"Would you happen to be Wheeljack?"

"…yes…"

Optimus nodded. "Very well. I am Optimus Prime."

"Ah… so _you're _the mech who's supposed to be our saviour. Nice to meet ya," he said happily.

"Um… yes." Prime was a little put out at the almost bi-polar change. "I have been… _asked…_ by the Autobot Council to lead a team of Autobots on a mission into outer space."

Ironhide let out a guffaw at Prime's use of the word 'asked'.

"For Energon, right?"

"I can't say."

"You don't get to be an inventor without knowing when your supplies are running low," he continued, as though Optimus had never said anything. "And? What can _I _do for you?"

"You have been recommended to us for the post of engineer."

"Ratchet, right?"

"Excuse me?"

Wheeljack turned back to his laser welding. "It was Ratchet who told you to ask me."

"I-"

"He thinks I spend too much time in the lab, right?"

"Well-"

"That I'm cut off from the rest of the world, right?"

"You-"

"Right?"

Optimus sighed. "Right."

Wheeljack paused, and turned around to look at him. "Look, it was nice of you to ask, but I'm really not interested. I bet you don't even want me for this mission. In fact, I bet you've already got an engineer lined up."

The Autobot leader paused. "Perceptor."

"See? And he'll be great for the post. Much better than I could do."

Optimus looked around the room. "Well, that may be, but-" he paused as he saw a holo-diagram on the wall. He walked over to it, fascinated. Pointing a finger at the diagram, he turned back to Wheeljack. "Did you do this?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. But when I suggest it to the Council, they say they're too busy. So, I put it on the back burner. Every now and again I'll ask them if they're not busy, but… you get the point."

Prime summoned over Trailbreaker with a small gesture. "If I'm right… doesn't this increase-?"

The black Autobot nodded. "You're right…" he almost gasped, amazed. "This Energon transference rate is more efficient than anything I've seen… this would take up half as much Energon if it was implemented properly."

Optimus turned back to their would-be recruit. "Wheeljack… would you be able to apply this technique to, say… spaceship engines?"

He mused over it for a moment, and then scratched his chin. "I suppose… if I increased the size of the displacement field and implemented a harmonic reflux at the point of…" His optics widened with the possibilities, and he raced over to another diagram board, scribbling away diligently.

Ironhide looked over at Optimus confusedly. The Autobot leader just gave him a knowing smile.

Wheeljack turned back to them excitedly. "Do you know how great this ship would be? It could go for… I don't know how long!"

Optimus nodded slowly. "What would you say," he said, his hands behind his back, "if said that _you _would be in charge of designing and constructing the engines of the ship?"

"… and I would have full control of the project?"

"Full control."

"No outside influences?"

"None _whatsoever."_

He thought only for a moment before responding.

"You've got yourself an engineer."

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Ironhide looked over at Optimus as they walked away from Wheeljack's lab (which they had learned he called his 'workshop'), slightly confused at the turn of events.

"Prime, what just happened in there?"

"From what I know of Energon conservation methods, what was on that diagram was genius. I couldn't pass up the chance to have him on my crew."

Ironhide glanced at Trailbreaker before looking back at Prime. "What about Perceptor?"

Optimus was silent for a moment. "I'll explain it to Perceptor."

"Prime, ah-"

"Ironhide, I want him on the team. And _with _him, we get Ratchet as well, a candidate I seem to remember you being quite adamant about. End of discussion." He continued on his way.

A snarl almost made it past Ironhide's lip components as he reached out and grabbed Optimus by the shoulder, turning him around. "No, _not _end of discussion, dammit! We're _both _recruitin' this crew, remember? Now, ah know you're used to bein' the man in charge, but his ain't gonna be no military mission!"

Optimus turned to face him fully, shock written on his features. He had gotten used to Autobots blindly agreeing with him and following his orders. It was a strange feeling to be argued with by one of his own again.

Ironhide removed his hand.

"Look," he continued, softer this time, "ah know this is weird for ya, but you're gonna be like the captain of a crew. You're gonna have to keep a tight circle of other Autobots around ya to keep things runnin' smoothly. I'll let ya have Wheeljack, but…" He smiled wryly. "Ya can't fly solo no more, Prime."

A small smile appeared beneath the Autobot leader's faceplate at that.

Trailbreaker cleared his vocal processor. "So… where to now?"

Prime seemed to lighten considerably. Which was to say, not much. "I'm not sure." He looked at his security officer. "Ironhide? What next?"

"Um… let's see…" he said, pulling the datapad out of subspace. "Oh, yeah. Ah was thinkin'… while ah know we're keepin' this thing all hush-hush from the Decepticons, ah think it'd be a good idea to prepare. Y'know, just in case they did get wind of it and decided to come after us."

Optimus cocked an optic ridge. "What did you have in mind?"

"First of all, a saboteur. Someone who can get in and out without anyone noticin', but still cause all kinds a' hell."

He nodded. "I see. Do you have any suggestions?"

Ironhide shrugged and put up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm all out on this one."

The black Autobot beside him stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then brought up a finger. "Say… I think I might know just the place to go…"

With a grand sweeping gesture, Ironhide indicated for Trailbreaker to go ahead of him.

"Lead on."

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(A/N: Anyone who knows their Ark crew should know who's coming up next. And who after that, at a stretch. Just think about what Ironhide said about preparing for the Decepticons… who would be best for fighting off unwelcome 'Cons?

Hmm… ; )

Anyway, review!)


	4. A New Beat

Disclaimer: I don't own _Transformers._

_**Desperate Measures**_

_**Chapter Four: A New Beat**_

The gentle hum of the bases' generator did nothing to comfort Ultra Magnus as he made his way down the corridor, heading for the infirmary. A quick looked around him confirmed what he already knew:

He was lost.

He wasn't too familiar with Uraya, and he feared that it was all too obvious to the soldiers under his command. A leader needed to seem infallible, as if no situation was unexpected or unsurpassable.

Of course, the only Autobot who had mastered that was Optimus Prime, and even he would sometimes snap in exasperation at nervous young Autobots or let his shoulders sag in exhaustion from time to time.

However, now was not one of the times when he could be allowed to show weakness in front of those who would be following him into battle.

_Perhaps sooner than they think,_ Magnus mused bitterly.

A blue Autobot hurriedly made his way past, glancing up and down at the pad in front of him at such a speed that Magnus wondered how his head didn't snap off his neck component. The City Commander resisted the temptation to ask for directions, resolving to pretend like he knew which way he was going.

"UltraMagnus?"

He stopped at the speedy mention of his name and turned to face the Autobot.

"Yes?"

The blue Autobot smiled, obviously relieved. "I'mgladIfoundyoubecauseIdidn'tknowwhatyoulookedlikeandwhenIaskedKuphejustsaidtolookforsomeonewholookedlikeOptimusPrimeand-"

Ultra Magnus grimaced and put up a hand. "One word at a time, soldier."

"OhsorryIguessI'mjustalittlehighstrungafterthenewsofthebattleatPolyhexbecauseitsoundedlikeitwasbadyouknow?"

Magnus waited for a moment, making sure the stressed Autobot was in fact finished before he responded.

"…yes. I can see why you would feel that way."

The blue Autobot sighed, and he let his shoulders slump slightly in relaxation. He lifted a datapad. "AnywayIwastoldtogiveyouthisbyKupbecausewhenheaskedforsomeonefastIsaidthatnoonegetsitdonefasterthanmenobodynobodynobody!"

Magnus took a moment to process what had just been said. "…and you are…?"

He laughed. "OhI'msorryIdidn'tintroducemyself." He extended a hand. "I'mBlurr."

Ultra Magnus nodded slowly and took his hand. "Good to meet you. Tell me, do you always-?"

Blurr tilted his head curiously, looking as naïve as a newborn spark.

The City Commander sighed. "-never mind. What is it?"

Blurr shrugged as he handed over the datapad. "Idon'tknowKupsaiditwasimportantthoughandhehadthatangrylookhesometimesgetswhensomethingbadhappenssotosumupwhatIjustsaidIguessIdon'tknow."

"…uh huh…" Magnus replied, slowly taking the datapad. He looked it over before returning his gaze to Blurr and smiling politely. "Thank you, Blurr."

The speedy Autobot gave him a salute. "Noproblematallit'swhatI'mbestatsorememberifyouneedanythingtogetsomewherefastyoujustcallupBlurrandI'llgetwhateveritistowhereveryouwantfasterthanyoucansee!"

He shot off down the corridor at speeds that Magnus was sure were hazardous to everyone's health. The City Commander sighed and shook his head as he turned back to his navigation of the corridors of Uraya.

He silently hoped that Prime would take Blurr with him on the mission. Magnus wasn't sure how much of the fast talking Autobot he could take.

To occupy his irritated processor, Magnus began reading the datapad. There had been a communiqué from one of their spies on the movements of the Decepticons. He cocked an optic ridge at that news that they were moving _at all_. Every time Megatron had channelled a black hole previously, he had been incapacitated for quite some time. And he certainly wouldn't have let someone lead any kind of assault force in his absence… with the exception of Shockwave.

But Shockwave was in Vos… Cosmos confirmed as much every ten thousand astroseconds.

Magnus frowned. That was another thing that was troubling him. Megatron was going through a lot of difficulty for the excavation of the now destroyed city. There wasn't anything of value there, so why would Megatron even bother with it?

He took another look around the corridor. He still had little to no idea where he was.

Of course, just because he and Prime didn't know about it, it didn't mean that there wasn't something important in Vos. The Autobot Council weren't too keen on sharing all of their information with anyone, even those who were fighting to protect them.

It made his circuits sizzle just thinking about it.

Something on the datapad caught his eye. That was unusual. The spy was actually delivering the information in person. Such a thing was unheard of usually, except in the cases where the information was exceedingly sensitive.

Ultra Magnus hoped it was nothing but a false alarm.

But somehow he knew better.

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Ironhide knew better than to question Trailbreaker's ideas, since they almost always bore fruit, but this was pushing it. When he had been called away by the Autobot Council to help Prime, he had hoped that he would never see this place again.

The Dead End. From orbit it looked like a section of the planet was missing, as though ripped away by some incredible force. Ironhide had no idea how the strange land mass (or lack of, technically) came about, but it wasn't a particularly pleasant place to be posted. And while Ironhide wasn't one to shirk the tough jobs, he wasn't going to lament leaving them either, and he certainly didn't when he was transferred away.

There was little natural light, and whatever did get through distorted the ground with monstrous shadows. The artificial lights only added to the eerie effect, giving it a very pale greenish tint, as though the whole area had contracted some kind of disease and was slowly rotting away. He had been assigned to the Dead End when rumours had begun circulating of the Decepticons using it as a staging ground. Ironhide had never been happier to find a rumour false in all his life.

And besides the point, Ironhide had never met anyone here who would fit the description of 'saboteur'.

He looked over at the black Autobot, who seemed to know exactly where he was going.

"Say, Trailbreaker… ah don't mean to step on your foot components or nuthin', but are you _sure _the 'Bot we're lookin' for is here?"

Trailbreaker smiled. "Trust me, Ironhide. He's here."

The elder Autobot frowned and looked over at Optimus, who was occupying his time taking in the… scenery, if one could call it that.

"Enjoyin' the view, Optimus?"

Prime gave him a quick glance before returning his gaze to the twisting 'architecture'.

"It's always fascinated me. How did… all this," he said, gesturing to the warped metal, "come to be? It obviously wasn't during the war, since we would have records of it."

Ironhide shrugged. "There was a lot of historythat ain't recorded before the wars. Maybe it happened then."

Optimus was silent for a moment. "Perhaps."

"You don't agree?"

The Autobot leader took a breath through his intake valve. "I don't know, Ironhide. I feel as though there is something… ancient here."

"Is this you talkin', or the Matrix?"

He looked as though he were about to answer, but seemed to think better of it. "Good question."

Trailbreaker looked over his shoulder at the two. "We're here."

The two red Autobots looked around, both feeling as though they were missing something. There was nothing there. No door, no building, nothing. They were standing on one of the few patches of the Dead End that _wasn't_ covered in debris and dried Energon from Transformers passed.

Optimus looked at the black Autobot. "Trailbreaker-"

He was cut off as the ground seemed to give way beneath them. Alarmed, Ironhide let out a yelp of surprise and back up slightly. As he looked down, he realised they were descending down some kind of elevator shaft, the bare patch of ground they were stood on in fact a platform for transportation. He looked up and saw the hole slowly being closed up by another sheet of metal.

Ironhide looked over at Optimus, who looked more curious than surprised at this turn of events. Then again, with the incredibly dim lighting, it wasdifficult to tell.

The elevator reached its' destination and came to a halt with a clang and a hiss of hidden hydraulic arms. Doors slid open in front of them, revealing a corridor lit only by dim orange lights.

"Black Ops…" Optimus said quietly, and Trailbreaker nodded as he entered the corridor.

Ironhide looked over at Optimus. "You know what this is?"

"I've only heard rumours. Very few Autobots are privy to this kind of thing in detail, and even fewer are well known themselves."

Trailbreaker looked over his shoulder. "Chances are you've met quite a few mechs and femmes that work for this place and never knew they did."

The elder Autobots' optics widened. "You?"

"Once or twice. 'Course, once is enough for them to own you forever."

"Does that include me an' Prime now, too?"

"No. You've just got to promise to keep it quiet once we're gone. And believe me, they'll keep a close eye on you while you're on Cybertron."

Ironhide grinned. "Good thing I'm leavin' then, huh?"

Trailbreaker didn't respond, and Ironhide's grin promptly faded.

They reached the end of the corridor, and after a brief pause, laser scanners bleeped to life and filled the corridor, scanning the three from head to foot. After another pause, the doors slid open, revealing a large room with the same dim orange colour scheme as the corridor and an Autobot symbol engraved into the wall.

"Hell of a reception committee," Ironhide muttered.

"Sorry, but we're not exactly used to guests."

Ironhide turned to the source of the voice to see the orange and red form of Firestar, the erstwhile bond mate of the Autobot Inferno.

"Firestar! How are you, you old-"

"Old?"

"Uh… that is…"

She smiled. "I'm joking, _you _old warhorse."

Ironhide rubbed his head sheepishly. "Heh…" he frowned as the seriousness of the situation dawned on him. "Wait… _you're _with this… Black Ops group? Does Inferno know?"

"All right, first of all, _yes_, I'm with the Autobots Black Operations group. And no, Inferno doesn't know. And third, _you're _not going to tell him. Understood?"

"I-"

Optimus, Trailbreaker and Firestar shot him a combined glare.

He crossed his arms in front of his large chest huffily. "Fine."

Firestar nodded. "All right then. Now," she said, turning to Optimus. "You're heading into space to search for Energon, is that right?"

The Autobot leader looked surprised for the briefest of moments, but then simply decided to nod in agreement. "We need someone to act as a saboteur in case the Decepticons somehow get wind of the plan."

Ironhide nodded. "Someone who'll do it quickly and efficiently. In, out, Decepticons go boom, that kinda thing."

Trailbreaker and Firestar exchanged a knowing smile.

"I take it you're thinking what I'm thinking," she asked.

"He _has _wanted to get out of this line of work for a while."

"But I wouldn't say 'quickly and efficiently ' are exactly his strong suits. Do you remember what he said once? 'Do it with style-"

"-or don't bother doing it', yes, I remember." He smiled. "He'll learn, Firestar. You just don't want to lose him because he's one of the best you have."

Optimus frowned worriedly. "I don't want to take away your best operative. After all, you'll be needing all you can get once-" he caught the words in his vocal processor, and then made a face as he realised he didn't have to keep such things secret.

Firestar nodded. "…once our Energon supplies are low. But I _also _don't want my best operative getting CFS."

Ironhide cocked a curious optic ridge.

"'Combat Fatigue Syndrome'," Trailbreaker elaborated, and Ironhide nodded. He didn't really need any more expansion on the subject; by 'fatigue' they meant 'going crazy'.

She nodded, having seemingly resolved the matter. "All right. If he wants to go, you've got him. I think he's in the training course at the moment, so you'll have to wait."

Optimus looked at her. "Is there any way we could watch?"

She grinned. "An audience? I don't think anything would make him happier."

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The datapad clattered lightly as Ultra Magnus tossed it on to the conference table, his gaze held firmly on the orange and blue Autobot in front of him. He sighed and rubbed dimmed optics with his thumb and forefinger.

"And you're sure of this?"

Punch nodded. "Starscream seems to have decided that he likes the taste of power while Megatron's out of the way."

Elita One leant forward, her hands intertwined as they rested on the table.

"But why now? He's never shown any interest before, has he?"

"No sir. But he has now, and he seems particularly intent on moving on to Uraya without Megatron or Shockwave's approval. He's also taken a more… paranoid approach to monitoring communiqués, which made it impossible to transmit anything using the usual turbopiggyback methods."

Magnus leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Thank you, Punch. Report to Kup after the meeting for further reassignment."

Punch saluted. "Yes sir." He turned on his heel and left.

Silence filled the conference room, and Ultra Magnus looked at the Autobots assembled before him. He was sat at the head of the table, with Elita One sat on his right, and Prowl on hers. Kup was sat on Magnus' left, with Smokescreen sat next to him.

"We're going to need backup," Prowl said, the usual confidence in his voice.

Kup frowned. "I don't know… the Decepticons took some heavy casualties during the battle too."

Elita shook her head. "We don't have any way of knowing how low their numbers are. And with Punch saying he's lost contact with two other operatives… I don't like it. We need reinforcements."

"From where? As far as I know we're all stretched pretty thin at the moment, and in case you hadn't noticed, Vector Sigma doesn't seem to be popping out too many Autobots nowadays."

"The amount of troops isn't the problem," Smokescreen interjected, "it's the fact that we haven't had a solid victory against the Decepticons for a few Astrocycles at best. We need something – or someone – to lift their sparks."

Elita sighed and rubbed her weary optics. "I wouldn't mind something to make me feel a little better."

Prowl looked from Elita to Smokescreen. "What did you have in mind?"

"If Prime was the one to help, it'd be a big boost for morale," Smokescreen replied bluntly.

Kup's frown deepened into a scowl. "And just why on Cybertron _isn't_ Optimus here? Who knows how differently that battle could have gone if he was there?"

"You know I can't discuss it, Kup," Magnus said, his sober expression hiding his own frustration with the situation.

"I know, I know… I just wonder what the Autobot Council have stuck up their recharge ports sometimes."

They all fell silent at that. No-one could argue that the Autobot Council had a hefty amount of blame on their shoulders for the losses they had suffered at the hands of the Decepticons.

Ultra Magnus slapped his hands down lightly on the table.

"In any case, there's no point in torturing ourselves over the 'what if's, 'why's and 'wherefore's. We're stuck with this situation, now let's deal with it. I agree that we need reinforcements, and yes, Optimus Prime would be the best choice at this point. Whether the Autobot Council will agree is anybody's guess."

"I'm bettin' on a 'no'," Kup muttered bitterly.

"In the meantime, I think we would all do well to try and keep everyone else's morale up. Who knows, we might end up fooling ourselves."

A small chuckle spread through the group with the exception of Prowl. While the strategist understood humour, he rarely laughed at it or enjoyed it in any form.

Magnus sometimes wondered what Prowl did for fun, or if he did at all.

But then again, were any Autobots having fun at a time like this?

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Ironhide looked over at Optimus from where he stood at the soundproof view port. "Y'know, ah'd swear he was enjoyin' this."

Firestar smiled. "You'd be right. While he's not an Energon-thirsty killer by any definition of the word, he certainly enjoys the other aspects of the job. Specifically… the acrobatics."

As if to accentuate the femme's point, the black and white Autobot sprang forward to avoid several laser shots from the practise drones, and balanced on one finger before propelling himself forward, rolling through the air and landing deftly on his feet. The robot drones continued blindly firing at their target, blasting each other in the process.

A small slot opened on the other side of the room, and several razor sharp discs sprang forth, each the size of Cosmos in his satellite form.

The black and white mech smiled coolly and waited for the right moment before jumping into the air and straightening his body, holding his arms up above him. He whirled in the air, deftly avoiding the discs and letting them lodge themselves in the wall behind him. He landed, looked back at the discs, and lightly brushed is nose with his thumb, smiling the whole time.

A beeping noise then filled the air, getting faster and faster until it was replaced by a single flat line tone. The noise abruptly stopped, and the room was suddenly filled with motion detecting lasers, creating a veritable web of red lines of light.

Ironhide looked over at Firestar questioningly.

"He's got to get to the control panel on the other side of the room, without touching the lasers, or he's 'dead'."

"That's impossible. That room's the length of Omega Supreme lyin' on his back. It'd take him-"

The black and white Autobot put his hand over his visor as though protecting him from the light of the sun. After rotating his shoulder joints a few times, he launched himself forward and, using his hand as a springboard, pushed himself towards the wall on his left. He bounced off it with his feet and landed on his hands, cart wheeling across the room before propelling himself against the wall on the other side. After a few more flips, he landed on his feet in front of the control panel and deactivated the lasers.

Ironhide's mouth stayed open until a smirking Trailbreaker closed it for him.

Firestar pressed the intercom button. "Looked like you almost slipped there, Jazz."

He smiled, his cheerful voice evident through the intercom._ "Probably you puttin' grease on the floor again, 'star."_

"Maybe it's just the old age getting to you," she teased, a smile on her face the entire time. "Anyway, I've got some Autobots here to see you."

Jazz looked up at the one way view port and waved happily. _"Anyone I'd know? I want t' look my best if I'm meetin' a celebrity."_

She smiled and shook her head. "Just get up here."

"_Aye, aye, cap'n."_

Jazz gave a mock salute and deactivated the comm, heading through the doors and leaving the training chamber.

Ironhide looked at Firestar incredulously. "That's what you call on the verge of goin' crazy?"

She shrugged, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Optimus crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Appearances can be deceiving," the leader mused quietly, almost as though talking to himself.

Ironhide figured Optimus was the authority on keeping up false pretences and appearances, and decided that if anyone could see someone who was hiding something, it was Optimus.

The doors to the observation room opened, and Jazz stepped through. He paused as he took in the identity of his visitors, but just as quickly, the Jazz they had seen happily bantering with Firestar was back.

"Heya! How you all doin'?" He came forward and shook each of their hands in succession, lingering on Optimus a moment more than on the others. "And what can I do for you on this fine Cybertronian day?"

Optimus straightened his back, which meant he was going into 'official Autobot leader business' mode.

"I am Optimus Prime. Under the orders of the Autobot Council, I have been put in command of a mission to leave Cybertron and search for Energon. Although I am sure you already know this."

Jazz shrugged. "Yeah, I jus' don't like to interrupt someone while they're talkin'."

The Autobot leader nodded, impressed. "Refreshing," he said, sending an accusatory glance in Ironhide's direction.

"An' why are you comin' to me with this?"

Optimus took a breath. "Although every security precaution has been taken, there is always the possibility that the Decepticons will learn of our plans and pursue us. And even if they don't, we are unsure of what life forms we may come across on our travels. In short… we need someone with your talents."

The black and white Autobot paused. "…I see."

"Of course, if you don't wish to come along, that is your prerogative."

"Well, that depends. What exactly would we be doin' on this mission?"

"Finding planets that contain sources of Energon, extracting it, and returning to Cybertron."

"So… little to none of… this stuff," he said, gesturing towards the training room.

Optimus sighed. "That would be true, yes," he said, a slightly dejected tone in his voice.

Jazz nodded sombrely. Suddenly, he clapped his hands and rubbed them together eagerly, grinning from audio receptor to audio receptor.

"When's the takeoff?"

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Jazz had decided to tag along with them for the rest of their recruitment mission, and Optimus couldn't be happier with the decision; since Jazz was with the Black Ops, he was privy to a lot of information that even he as a Prime was not, allowing them access to his knowledge of various Autobots and their suitability for the mission.

Optimus stopped just as he was about to enter the transport when he heard his comm beeping for attention. He pushed a button, and a small compartment on his wrist opened up, revealing the face of Ultra Magnus.

"_Prime! I've been trying to reach you for a few thousand astroseconds. Where've you been?"_

"I can't talk about it."

Magnus paused. _"Oh."_

Hoping to bypass any awkwardness, Optimus pressed on to the matter at hand. "What's wrong, Magnus? How did the battle at Polyhex go?" His optics glowed with worry. "Is Elita all right?"

Ultra Magnus smiled. _"She's fine. Not for lack of trying, of course, but she's fine."_

"Is she there? Can I talk to her?"

"_I'm sorry Prime, but this is strictly a business call. We lost Polyhex. The Decepticons are moving on to Uraya sooner than we thought, and we need some reinforcements. I've talked to the Autobot Council, and they want you back in Iacon right away to discuss some countermeasures."_

"Tell them I can't be in two places at once. Either they want me to assemble this crew, or they want me in battle. They can't have both."

"_Prime. **We **need you, not the Council. **Us**. Don't let your feelings for them cloud your judgement."_

Optimus paused for a moment, and then sighed. "All right. I'll be there as soon as I can with Trailbreaker. Prime, out."

He switched off the comm and turned to Ironhide and Jazz.

"It looks like you'll have you to get the next few crewmembers without me."

Ironhide shrugged. "Fine by me." He looked at Jazz. "You got any objections?"

Jazz smiled. "Right-o, Autobuddy!"

The black and white mech practically whirled on his heel as he made his way to the transport.

Ironhide looked back at Trailbreaker. "'Right-o'?"

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After Ironhide and Jazz bid their farewells to Optimus and Trailbreaker, the pair got on a transport to head to the other side of Iacon, far away from the Autobot Council chambers.

Ironhide looked over at Jazz, who was relaxing into his chair as much as Autobotly possible.

"So, _why_ are we headin' into the nastiest part of Iacon?"

Jazz head lolled over to look at him. "_Because, _my main mech, Prime said he wanted some _'nasty'_ for this crew. And to get nasty… you go to the nasty places."

"You got an Autobot in mind, or are we just shoppin'?"

The black and white mech grinned. "Not _an _Autobot." He held up a pair of digits. "Two."

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(A/N:

I'd like to give a little shout out to MariaShadow for coming up with Jazz being part of a Black Ops group, and for the Combat Fatigue Syndrome thing in general. I hope she doesn't mind my using it. If you do, please don't hesitate to PM me!

For those who may not be up on their Headmaster and Targetmaster characters, Punch is an Autobot that can transform into a Decepticon called Counter-Punch, hence his usefulness as a spy. Unfortunately, that leads to some multiple personality disorders, since one isn't aware of the other… or something like that. It wasn't really talked about in the show – he just had a cheesy-yet-cool voice and got beat up a lot.

And finally, about the 'turbopiggyback' word; I figured that if there could be turbofoxes on Cybertron for Mirage to hunt with his high class friends, there could be turbopigs (of course, it might have something to do with the fact that I couldn't think of a better word for 'piggyback'. But that's a long shot ;)).

Anyway, review!)


	5. Raindrops

Disclaimer: I don't own _Transformers._

_**Desperate Measures**_

_**Chapter Five: Raindrops**_

A squelching noise attracted Ironhide's attention to his foot, where he saw that yet another sticky substance of unknown origin had managed to adhere itself to him. He hopped on one foot as he struggled to scrub it off, muttering several Cybertronian curses that Optimus definitely wouldn't have approved of.

Jazz smiled as he looked back. "Buddy, if you stop to take _everythin_' off your foot, we ain't gonna get anywhere."

Much to the elder Autobot's irritation, he noticed that Jazz didn't have a single mark on him. "Ah'm sorry. Are we in a hurry?"

"Nah, I just-"

"Then y'can _wait _fer a few astroseconds, can'tcha?"

The black and white mech sighed and crossed his arms.

A few more curses and a little more scrubbing later, and Ironhide was done. "There. Let's go."

Jazz shook his head and continued on his way, allowing himself a silent chuckle.

The elder Autobot behind him continued looking around their dark and dank surroundings, not even bothering to hide his disgust.

"Are you _sure _we're gunna find-"

His 'tour guide' whirled on his heel. "Look, would you stop already? The place we're goin' to is just around the corner."

Slightly humbled by the sudden outburst, Ironhide remained silent for a moment. He nodded in a direction behind Jazz. "That corner over there?"

"The very same."

"Well… let's go then."

Jazz nodded quickly. "Okay then."

"Okay."

He made a grand gesture. "After you."

Not particularly appreciative of the sarcasm, Ironhide nevertheless opted to comply with the black and white Autobot, not wanting to inspire any more of his wrath. He led the way around said corner, and came to an alleyway that would have been all but bare except for a door on the left. He stepped forward to open it, when Jazz lay a cautioning hand on his arm.

"Before we go in… I should tell you that this place _might _freak ya out a bit."

"Why?"

"Well… let's just say it's not what you're used to."

"And just _how _do you know what ah'm used to?"

"Just… be ready, is all."

"Buddy, ah've been from one end of th' galaxy to th' other. Ah've been half eaten by Regulan Metal Mongers and attacked by Idyaks. Ah think ah can handle whatever's on the other side of this door."

Jazz stared at him for a few moments before removing his hand, putting both up in a surrendering gesture. "All right…"

The elder Autobot left a lingering, irritated look on Jazz before pushing open the door to the Cybertronian club.

And promptly clapped his hands on his audios as the most horrific, vile and vulgar music he had heard in his life assaulted his sensors. Flashing lights blinded his optics, the strobe effect threatening to give him a cranial unit ache.

He felt a light hand on his shoulder. Ironhide looked over at Jazz, who was happily smiling and nodding his head to the beat of the… well, Ironhide supposed some mechs could call this 'music'.

"Y'OKAY?" he yelled, grinning from audio to audio.

"AH'M FINE!"

"WHAT?"

"AH SAID AH'M FINE!"

"WHAT?"

Ironhide scowled. "AH SAID-"

"Calm down, I'm jus' kiddin."

The older Autobot looked around the room. He was struggling to see anyone who _wasn't _overcharged and dancing the night away. He looked back to Jazz.

"And you actually like this stuff?"

Jazz, meanwhile, was clearly fighting the urge to break into dance himself, nodding his head and tapping his foot with pure enjoyment.

"Yeah, it's good!"

The black and white mech continued on into the crowd, heading for the bar in the middle of the room. With a disgusted shake of the head, Ironhide followed, all the while muttering about 'the drivel that youngsters listen to'.

By the time Ironhide reached him, Jazz was in the middle of a conversation with the bartender, who he apparently knew. After exchanging a few more words with him, Jazz turned back to Ironhide.

"The guys we're lookin' for are in the back."

"Well, what are we waitin' for?"

Ironhide set off, although he had little idea where 'the back' was. Jazz grabbed his arm.

"Whoa there, buddy. Slow it up. We can't go back there now."

"Why not?"

"They're kinda… in the middle of something."

"So? This is important."

"Yeah… but they won't think so, _especially _if you go in there right now and mess up their game."

He cocked an optic ridge. "Game? What're they doin'?"

Jazz was silent for a moment. "Considerin' that we're both Autobot officials… I don't think we should really discuss it."

A low growl escaped Ironhide's voice emitter. "So what're we supposed to do? Sit here and wait?"

The black and white mech grinned. "First drink's on me…"

"Well why didn't you say so?"

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Optimus Prime was not a happy Autobot. Trailbreaker could see it, Ultra Magnus could see it, and Primus only knew if the Autobot Council could see it.

Not that they would have acted any differently if Optimus was in a murderous rage.

"And you called me away from the mission of vital importance –which you sent me on, lest we forget - to tell me this?"

There was no reply for a moment, but then one of the shadowy figures sat above him spoke. "We did not want to risk-"

"You could have sent a messenger. You could have-" Prime stopped in his tracks and sighed. "I'm struggling to understand what you want from me. Either you want me leading this mission," he said, pointing to the ground, "or _that _one," he said, pointing outwards. "You can't have it both ways."

"Are you telling us you aren't going to help?"

"Of course I'm going to help. These are _my _people. I care about them. And care is something that you seem to be sorely lacking in. I've had enough of this. I've had enough of you dictating matters in which you have no relevant experience or good judgement. I don't care what you do now. I will find a group of Autobots who will help me and _we _will win this war. You can do whatever you want."

Optimus turned and left the chambers.

"You have not been dismissed."

The Bearer of the Matrix kept on walking. "Trailbreaker, Ultra Magnus. You're with me."

Without even a moment's hesitation, they followed, unheeding of the Council's warnings.

"If you leave now, you will never be permitted back inside the Council chambers. You-"

Ultra Magnus closed the chamber doors behind them. He turned from the doors to face Optimus, who was looking out the front entrance of the Council building, gazing out over Cybertron. Trailbreaker stood behind him, unsure of what to do.

The City Commander came forward and put a relieving hand on Trailbreaker's shoulder before approaching Prime.

"What have I done?" the Autobot leader whispered.

"You did what every Autobot has been hoping you would do ever since you were created. That group of Autobots you were talking about? It's going to be the whole damn army, you realise that? There isn't a single Autobot soldier who won't follow you, especially after this."

Prime let out a heavy sigh. "I hope so." He shook his head, as though shaking out all the doubts and fears that were plaguing him. He turned around. "Ultra Magnus, Trailbreaker, I want you to go to Uraya and prepare a full scale evacuation to Iacon, while still preparing it for the approaching Decepticons. Be as quiet about it as you can; if we can help it, I don't want Starscream catching wind of what we're doing."

Trailbreaker nodded. "Yes, sir."

Ultra Magnus cocked an optic ridge. "And what are _you_ going to do?"

The Autobot leader turned and looked out over Cybertron yet again. "I'm going to find some old acquaintances and see if I can get their help. The Energon expedition is of primary importance."

The two nodded. "Right."

"Good luck to both of you." Optimus turned and transformed, heading out towards the center of Iacon.

Ultra Magnus turned to Trailbreaker. "Do you know who he's talking about?"

The black Autobot shrugged his hefty shoulders. "Maybe… but I don't think they'll be easy to persuade."

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Ironhide nodded his head appreciatively. "Y'know… ah think this music is startin' to grow on me."

Jazz grinned. "Careful man, that almost sounded like a compliment."

"Aw, ah-"

Someone came up to the bar beside Ironhide, and Jazz nodded in his direction in a 'there he is' gesture.

The older Autobot turned around to see a young looking Autobot with a face that said anything but 'nasty'. In fact, the boy looked so laid back Ironhide doubted he had ever even been in a battle. Although the rocket launcher mounted on his shoulder seemed to say otherwise. His red chassis gleamed in the flashing lights of the club, but not so much as to indicate he spent all day on his appearance.

"Hey, buddy," Jazz greeted cheerfully.

If the red Autobot noticed him, he didn't show it. "Barkeep, two more of the same, would ya?"

Ironhide and Jazz exchanged a glance before the black and white mech tried again.

"Hey there, buddy. Let me buy this round."

That got his attention. He looked them both up and down and smiled easily.

"Sorry, guys. While you're both pretty good looking, I'm not interested. I'm flattered though, really."

Ironhide came forward, a hint of anger in the movement. Jazz put a calming hand on his shoulder before looking at the red mech. He tossed his Autobot ID on the bar in front of him.

"We're recruitin' Autobots for a mission."

He looked it over suspiciously, but gave it back with a cheery smile. "Well, that's different. But I can't say yes."

The scowl on Ironhide's face deepened. "And why is that, exactly?"

"It's not entirely up to me, is it? I need to check with _him,_ and if he says okay, then I've got to think about whether _I _really want to do it… y'know, a lot of procedures and checksums and stuff like that."

Ironhide poked an accusing finger in the Autobot's chest. "You messin' us around, boy?"

He smiled. "_No._ Because that would be rude." His drinks arrived, and he picked them up. "Look, I'll go round back, check with him, and see if he wants to do it. Whatever 'it' is. Once the game's over, we'll come back out, have a nice long chit-chat, and see how things go from there, okay?"

"Can't we come with ya?"

The very concept almost seemed to make the Autobot choke with laughter. "What, are you kidding? If you distract him and he loses, he won't even think twice about ripping your heads off."

Ironhide crossed his arms. "Ah'd like to see him try."

"If you want to test the theory, then come along. But I'd rather you didn't, I've kinda got a lot riding on this game."

Jazz put a hand on Ironhide's shoulder, while still looking at Sideswipe. "S'okay, man. You go on ahead and we'll wait out here."

The red Autobot bowed graciously. "Thanks so much."

He continued on his way before Ironhide put an arm in front of him, blocking his path. The red Autobot looked up at him, some irritation growing in his optics.

"Ah'm Ironhide. This is Jazz."

He nodded. "Sideswipe. It's been a pleasure."

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Nightblade threw another few more creds on the table, all the while keeping his optics firmly locked on his opponent.

"Can you match that?"

The yellow Autobot, Sunstreaker, stared at him blankly before tossing several more creds from somewhere on his person. He was keeping his pads close to his chest.

"I'll admit," Nightblade said, throwing some more creds on the pile, "you're good at this."

His opponent threw a matching amount of creds on the pile.

"The best I've seen, in fact."

Sunstreaker didn't acknowledge his words. He just continued staring at him.

"So good," Nightblade continued, keeping his optics on Sunstreaker, "that I can't even tell how you're cheating."

He didn't reply. He just threw his pads down on the table. "I win," he said blankly, and began gathering up the creds.

Nightblade stood up and slammed a hand down on Sunstreaker's. His head whipped up to look at Nightblade, his optics burning a hole through his cranial unit.

"How about this. You go… and the money stays."

Sunstreaker just stared at him. The door behind them opened, and a cheerful Sideswipe came through, almost skipping. He put the drinks down on the table and took his seat beside his brother.

"Here's your drink," he said, holding it up to Sunstreaker.

He didn't respond.

"Sunny? Drink? Right here? In my hand? That you asked me to get?"

Still no response. Sideswipe looked from his brother, to Nightblade, and back again.

"What's goin' on?"

"We're having a disagreement about something," Nightblade said simply, not for one instant looking away from his opponent.

Sideswipe sighed and looked at his twin. "What'd you do, Sunny?"

"He said I was cheating."

"He did?" He looked at Nightblade. "You did?"

No reply. The red Autobot turned to his brother and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, he didn't mean it. C'mon. There's two mechs waiting in the bar for us. They want to talk about a mission or something. So let's go. C'mon."

Sideswipe stood and tried to pull Sunstreaker along with him, but to no avail. The gleaming yellow Autobot wouldn't budge.

"He has to ask me to stay."

Sideswipe blanched at that. "Wha?"

"If he asks me to stay, I'll leave it."

The younger twin (by a few nanoseconds, true, but still younger) sighed and shook his head. "Ah, c'mon Sunny, I wanna go."

Sunstreaker turned his deliberate gaze on to his brother. "If he asks me to stay, I will."

Sideswipe approached Nightshade, who was still staring at Sunstreaker. "C'mon, buddy. Just… ask him to stay, would you? That way you get to keep the money and everybody's happy."

Nightshade glanced at him out of the corner of his optic. A few tense seconds passed as he and Sunstreaker continued their battle of wills. The purple and black Autobot relaxed his shoulders slightly and smiled sweetly at Sunstreaker, leaning over the table.

"Kiss… my… aft."

The red Autobot groaned, and his hand leapt up to his face. With a sigh of resignation, he picked up the two drinks that were on the table and stood aside.

Nightshade, meanwhile, was continuing to hassle Sunstreaker, with seemingly little results.

"Y'see? What are you going to do? Nothin'. Cause you're scared. You're all bluster and no bite. I bet if we got into a fight, I'd make you kiss my-"

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Jazz and Ironhide almost leapt up into the air in shock as a purple and black Autobot flew through the air and landed on the bar in front of them, his chassis dented and his limbs bent at angles that should have been impossible. He looked behind him in fear and scrambled to get off the bar and out of the club.

A yellow Autobot stormed through the crowd towards him.

"Hey, where're you going? Why aren't you making me kiss your rear drive plating?"

He quickly caught up with the fleeing Autobot and grabbed him by the shoulders just as he reached the exit. With little effort, he tossed him across the room and into the dance floor, knocking over about a dozen Autobots in the process.

"What's wrong? I thought I was scared! I thought I was all bluster and no bark! C'mon, give me something!"

The dark Autobot continued his retreat, and Sunstreaker pursued at a ferocious pace.

Ironhide caught up with him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon now, buddy, ah think you've made your-"

Without even looking at him, Sunstreaker grabbed Ironhide's arm and tossed him across the room effortlessly. The red Autobot landed on a table where a particularly irritable and big Autobot was enjoying the company of his femme.

"Hey? What d'you think you're doing?"

"Sorry, buddy, I was jus'-"

One punch later and Ironhide was again thrown across the room. The room erupted into an explosion of Energon, broken glasses and furniture, as well as the odd limb being tossed through the air. Eventually, Ironhide caught on that he was in the middle of a bar brawl and started fighting back. Jazz swiftly dodged and flipped around his opponents effortlessly, occasionally knocking someone off balance with a slap or a push to the back.

Sideswipe, observing the fight escalate from the now broken doorway to the back room, finished his drink and wiped his mouth. He interlocked his fingers and stretched his joints. With a smile, he activated his pile drivers and jumped right in.

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"Ah can't believe that you- AGH! That y-AGH! That-AGH! Would ya quit it, doc?"

Ratchet just scowled. "Look, if you want your shoulder rotator fixin', you'd better just shut up and take it!"

"Well, I wouldn't even be like this if _he _hadn't thrown me across the room!" Ironhide growled, glaring at Sunstreaker. The twins were on the other side of the med bay, both of them immaculate. Even Jazz hadn't managed that feat, having caught quite a lot of punishment in the brawl.

"You were trying to interrupt me," the yellow Autobot said simply. "For an old mech like you, that's not a good idea."

The red Autobot tried to sit up from the operating table. "OLD MECH? I'll give you old mech-"

Ratchet grabbed him by the shoulder and rammed him back onto the operating table. "No, you'll _lie down _and let me operate!" He turned to the twins. "And y-, ah no, where the hell's the other one?"

"What does this do?"

The medic turned and saw Sideswipe reaching for the controls of a laser surgery unit.

"No, no! Step away from the surgical unit! Now!"

Sideswipe backed up, his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay… I was just trying to learn something and better myself…"

His brother groaned. "Shut up, Sides…"

"You shut up, aft-face."

"I'll give you aft-face…"

Sunstreaker leapt at his twin, and they proceeded to roll around the room, their movements lost in a blur of yellow and red.

Ratchet's low growl quickly rose into a full grown bellow of rage. He stomped over to the two squabbling brothers and grabbed one of them by the leg. He dragged out Sideswipe and tossed him to one side of the room, and proceeded to the do the same with Sunstreaker, pulling him to the opposite side.

"My med bay is _not _a fighting arena! If you want to do that, you take it outside!"

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker exchanged a look, and then returned their collective gaze to Ratchet.

"Okay," was the simultaneous reply. The two promptly ran full speed out of the med bay and into the rest of the hospital.

Ratchet's optics widened. "The patients! Wait! Wait!" He scrambled out after the twins.

Ironhide groaned and rested his head back on the operating table. A chuckle from the table beside him drew his attention to Jazz, who had obviously enjoyed the whole display very much.

"Ah don't see why you're laughin'."

"'Cause it's funny, man."

"Yeah, well, laugh it up, because ah'm not gonna be the one to explain to Prime why he's suddenly got two crazy Autobots on his team."

"Don't worry about it, man. The pros far outweigh the cons."

A resounding crash echoed down the corridor, followed by Ratchet's now desperate pleas.

"Please, these patients are sick!"

Ironhide looked over at Jazz.

"You sure about that?"

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(A/N: The chapter title 'Raindrops' is inspired by the song 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' by Burt Bacharach. Why? Because it was most famously used in the movie 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', who I realised on a recent viewing were almost exactly like Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, respectively. Also, the 'He has to ask us to stay' bit it lifted directly from the scene that introduces the Sundance Kid, although with a slightly different outcome, obviously. ;)

Nightblade is just some random Autobot I made up for Sunstreaker to beat the living snot out of. So any resemblance to a fan fictionTransformer and such is just a coincidence.

Anyway, review!

Next chapter: Minibots!)


	6. The Little Details

Disclaimer: I don't own _Transformers._

_**Desperate Measures**_

_**Chapter Six: The Little Details**_

Ironhide frowned.

"Ah'm not too sure about this."

"Would you _please _stop saying that? You said you wanted some extra help, we're getting you extra help."

"When you said you'd get us some help, I didn't think you meant _this_," Ironhide said, looking up at the sign above the doorway.

A small smile tugged at the side of Sideswipe's mouth. "Why? You got something against Minibots?"

"No."

"No?"

"_No_," he replied, looking at Sideswipe pointedly. "Ah jus' think we should be lookin' for somethin'…"

"Bigger?"

"No! Ah jus'… ah, never mind."

"No, no. Go on. Sounds like you're being prejudice to me."

"A'hm not bein' prejudice. You're bein' stupid."

He gasped in horror. "_I'm _being stupid? Ironhide, I am insulted!" He turned to his brother. "Sunny, I do believe he just called us stupid!"

"Shut up, Sides."

"You shut up."

"I'll give you shut up."

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"I'll make your sense, if you don't get on with it."

"You'll make my- what?"

"Just shut up and get on with it, Sides!"

"Oh, fer- let's just go, all right?" Ironhide groaned, gesturing for Sideswipe to open the door.

Sideswipe put his forefinger underneath his chin. "Duh… which way? I dunno which way because I'm stupid, as you know."

Ironhide stormed past the red mech, roughly shoving open the doors as he went. Jazz followed with a thinly veiled smile, while Sideswipe and Sunstreaker still remained outside.

"Where you goin'? I dunno, because I'm stupid."

Sunstreaker shook his head and walked into the complex, not looking at his brother. "Just come on, would you?"

"Duh… okay, but I might walk into a wall or something."

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Optimus looked out over Iacon, his arms folded in front of him. This had originally been planned as a quick rest stop before he continued on his way, but something had made him stay. Something that told him he wouldn't be seeing this place for much longer.

He didn't know whether it was the Matrix or just paranoia that made him feel such a way.

Optimus had never been a decisive mech. As Orion Pax, he had struggled to pick a colour when the time for a repaint came around. As much as his mech pride wouldn't allow him to admit it, Ariel made most of the decisions.

And now, here he was, cutting ties with the Autobot Council which had guided them since before Optimus was even born. Who the hell did he think he was?

He was leader, that's who.

But does even a leader have the right to make such a decision for those that follow him?

Of course he does. He is the holder of the Matrix, the one chosen to light their darkest hour. He knows what is best for his people.

A heavy sigh escaped Optimus' exhaust vent.

But did he?

"Now _that _sounded rather glib, Optimus."

The Autobot leader whirled on his heel in shock when he heard the delicate voice. His face caught somewhere between joy and complete surprise, Optimus ran forward and grabbed his lifemate in a sturdy bear hug, somehow keeping his touch gentle at the same time. He put her down.

"Elita! What are you- how are you- I-"

She put up a hand to stop his questioning. "I'm here to talk to you, and I came by Sky Lynx. Any other questions?"

"…why?"

A light laugh escaped her lip components. It was like heaven to Optimus' audios. He had become so used to talking and listening to hardened mechs of war… he had almost forgotten what she sounded like.

"You break off all ties with the Autobot Council, and you ask why?"

And then, just as suddenly as it lifted, the weight of the world was once again upon his shoulders. He gently released his grasp on her waist and turned to face the view of the city, his arms once again folded in front of him.

"You've heard."

She walked up beside him, her frame nearly matching his in height. "Magnus told me."

Optimus let out a low chuckle, although it was bereft of humour. "I should have known. He loves to gossip."

"It's not gossip, Optimus. It's-"

"-the biggest mistake I've made since I was given the Matrix?"

She sighed. "I was going to say 'a major decision'."

The Autobot leader shrugged his broad shoulders, not breaking his gaze over the city. "A decision I shouldn't have made."

Elita put a hand on the Autobot symbol covering his shoulder. "Is it?"

"Yes. I should have discussed it with you and Ultra Magnus first. I should have-"

A silencing finger lay on his faceplate. "But you didn't, Optimus. Why?"

"I… I had had enough of them. They have been continually pushing and pulling us like puppets. And I… had had enough. Too many Autobots have died because of them." He turned to face her. "But that still doesn't excuse what I did."

"Doesn't it? You went with your spark."

"I let my emotions control me."

"No. You let them fuel you. Whenever you've made a decision with your laser core, it has always been for the better. You know that."

He held her gaze for a few moments for turning away. "I think you overestimate my abilities."

"And I think you underestimate them. How many battles have we won simply because _you _were there? Have you ever taken into account how many lives you've saved? How many wounded Autobots you've saved from the battlefield? Perceptor wouldn't be alive now if not for you."

"The Protectobots would have saved him."

With a growl of frustration, she grabbed his arm and whirled him around. "Would you stop being stubborn and _listen _to what I'm saying?"

He stared at her, although she wasn't sure if he was listening or not. Even after all the time they had known each other, she still couldn't see past that faceplate sometimes. She didn't know anyone who did.

"You are the leader of the Autobots. You were chosen to bear the Matrix because _you _were the right mech for the job. Do you even understand that?"

No reply.

She sighed. "And besides… there are Autobots out there who need you. And you standing around looking out over Iacon isn't helping _them_."

Something seemed to light up in Optimus' optics, and he looked up. "You're right."

She smiled. "Of course I'm right," she said, draping her arms around his neck. His large hands delicately wrapped around her waist.

"I see working in the battlefield hasn't made you any less-"

"Confident?"

This time she could definitely see a smile beneath his faceplate. "… I was going to say 'cocky'."

"Good thing I stopped you. That would have been an awful thing to get wrong."

His smiled widened. "Wouldn't it?"

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Ironhide cocked an optic ridge at the training ground on display before him.

"Ah can't believe we're doin' this," he muttered, putting a hand over his face.

He heard a snicker come from Jazz, and looked up in curiosity. Beside him, Sideswipe was stood in the exact same stance as him, with an exaggerated angry face included.

"Why you little-"

Ironhide stopped in mid-sentence as Sideswipe copied his words.

"Don't-"

"Stop-"

"Damn it, stop-"

The large red Autobot brought back his hand in anger, and Jazz swiftly leapt between them.

"Whoa now. Let's just get our recruits and leave, okay?"

He looked pointedly at Ironhide from beneath his visor. "Okay?"

"Fine."

Jazz turned to Sideswipe. "Okay?"

"This is my suggestion. Why would I object?"

"Then you won't mind leading on."

"I certainly will not," he said with a smile, walking ahead of them and gesturing for them to follow.

After a sympathetic shrug to Ironhide, Jazz followed, Ironhide and Sunstreaker following.

Their first stop was a small red Autobot on the target range, an impossibly huge cannon mounted on his miniature shoulder. Beside him sat a yellow Autobot of the same build, although he was sitting back to enjoy the show. With a flurry of shots, the red 'Bot nailed every target, even one that Ironhide was struggling to _see_, let alone having any chance hitting.

Sideswipe waved a cheery hand. "Cliffjumper!"

The small Autobot ducked his head at the particularly loud proclamation of his name, and turned to face the source. As soon as he saw Sideswipe, his face contorted into a look of disgust and anger. In an impossibly fast motion, he leapt to his feet and charged headfirst into the larger red Autobot.

The impact knocked Sideswipe on his back with a loud 'whoof!' noise.

Ironhide couldn't help but be slightly amused by the spectacle.

"Where's my money?"

Sideswipe grinned. "Everybody. This is Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper, this is Ironhide and Jazz. You've met Sunny."

Cliffjumper didn't acknowledge their presence. "Yeah, I met him when _you _swindled me out of my money."

"Swindle? Me?"

"Just stop it. Where's my money?"

"I… already spent it."

"On what?!"

Sunstreaker stepped forward. "On a new coat of paint… for me." He cocked an optic ridge. "You going to get off my brother now?"

The Minibot looked from Sunstreaker to Sideswipe, then back again. After a pause, he hefted himself off him.

"Fine." He pointed at Sideswipe. "But you still owe me money."

"No problem. But first, these nice Autobots have a favour to ask you."

As Bumblebee made his way over, Cliffjumper turned to face them. "Yeah?"

Jazz looked over at Ironhide, who just crossed his arms.

"Ah'm not doin' it. Ah don't even want t' be here."

With a sigh, the black and white mech looked over to Cliffjumper. "We're puttin' together a mission-"

"'Cause of the Energon shortage?"

Ironhide threw his arms up in the air, exasperated. "Damn it, who _doesn't _know?"

Jazz smiled. "Yeah, 'cause of that. You interested?"

"Will I get to kick any Decepticon aft out there?"

"Maybe."

He shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Bumblebee nodded enthusiastically. "I'll go!"

Cliffjumper turned to him, irritably poking a finger into his chest. "You can't go! You're not even authorised to carry a firearm yet!"

Ironhide's optics widened in recognition. "_And _you're a waiter!" All optics fell on Ironhide. He shrugged. "Well, he is!"

Bumblebee laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, well… an Autobot's gotta do _something_."

Jazz smiled leaned to his side to speak to Ironhide. "I like this guy. Let's keep him."

"What?! Are you crazy? He can't even carry a firearm yet!"

"He'll learn! And besides," he said, lowering his voice, do you really think that Prime would be happy with us if we _did_ refuse him? I mean, look at that face. Say no to that face."

The older Autobot looked at the Minibot, who was watching them with baited breath.

Ironhide sighed. "All right…"

The black and white mech nodded, pleased. "All right, then." He looked over at Sideswipe. "You have any other recommendations while we're here?"

"For the mission?" Bumblebee interrupted.

"Yeah…"

Bumblebee smiled. "Follow me."

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Optimus and Elita looked out over the city, sat next to each other.

"So where are you heading off to now?"

Optimus nodded down the road he had before been heading down. "To the trauma hospital. I'm hoping to find an Autobot there who…" He sighed. "He has suffered through a lot in recent cycles. His entire city was destroyed before his optics by the Decepticons… his closest friends tortured in front of him."

"And he survived?"

"He was left deliberately. The Decepticons… bound him and made him watch."

Elita shook her head. Then she tilted it to the side slightly. "You're going to recruit him."

Optimus continued looking out over the city. "I think that taking him away from… all this will help him."

"Are you sure?"

He looked over at her. "I'm just going with my laser core on this, Elita." He cocked a wry optic ridge in her direction. "Doesn't that make me right?"

"You'll never forget I said that, will you?"

"Stored in my memory banks for later use."

A look of slight trepidation crossed her features. Optimus frowned.

She was wondering whether she would ever see him again.

Optimus searched for the right words, but found nothing that he was willing to say out loud. That required a frankness and a security in himself that he just didn't have, Matrix or no Matrix.

He got to his feet. His hand hovered above her shoulder.

"I…"

A sigh escaped his vocal processor.

"I'll talk to you later."

Optimus turned and headed towards the road. He half turned back to look at Elita.

He transformed and rolled out for his next destination.

Elita stared out at the city.

"You stupid femme…"

She sat there for barely a few astroseconds before getting up herself and heading on her way, her expression as stony as her life mate's.

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Starscream's fingers could be heard tapping against the armrest from across the command center. He irritably pushed the comm button.

"Starscream to Astrotrain! What's taking so long?"

"_We're still waiting on repairs, Starscream."_

"Well, hurry up! We don't have much time. The Autobots have begun evacuating Uraya. Somehow they must have gotten wind of our plan."

Reflector 1 turned to his brother, who was sat at a console beside him.

"Perhaps it was Starscream's broadcasting."

"Do you have something to say, Reflector?"

He ducked his head, but refused to turn around and face the ranting Decepticon.

"Simply discussing system calibrations, sir."

Starscream was silent for a moment. "Be sure that is all."

The doors to the command center slid open, and Soundwave stepped through, flanked by Rumble and Frenzy. The communications officer was idly going through a pad, although with Soundwave, 'idly' could mean any number of things.

"And another thing!"

Soundwave's head came up instantly upon hearing the shrill yells of his temporary commander.

"I want a status report every cycle, on the cycle, understand?"

"_Yes, Starscream."_

The frustration in Astrotrain's voice permeated through the air.

It did not go unnoticed.

"Good. Starscream out."

He slammed the button again, closing the channel. Soundwave made his presence known by stepping forward, and Starscream rose from his throne to meet him.

"Ah, Soundwave. Any luck finding the source of the leak?"

Soundwave paused for the briefest of moments before shaking his head. "Nothing to report."

"Nothing to report, _what_?"

If such a thing were possible, Reflector could have sworn he saw Soundwave bristle.

"Nothing to report, _sir_."

The Seeker Commander nodded. "Very well. Continue your work," he said, dismissing him with a grand waft of the hand.

Soundwave quickly nodded and turned on his heel, almost stomping out of the command center, Rumble and Frenzy with him.

The doors slid shut behind him, and he stood in silence in the corridor.

Frenzy looked up at him. "Uh… what're we doin'?"

"Shut up, aft for brains! He's thinkin'!" Rumble countered, pointing at Soundwave.

"I'll give you aft brain, you-"

Suddenly, Soundwave set off down the corridor, his two companions struggling to keep up pace with the far taller Decepticon.

"Where're we goin'?"

Soundwave didn't answer. He stepped into the elevator at the end of the corridor and pushed the button for level 5.

Frenzy pointed to the button Soundwave had pressed. "Hey, isn't that the floor where-"

The communications officer gave him a 'look', and Frenzy promptly shut up. The doors opened with a comforting hiss sound, and the trio headed out, going straight into the medical bay.

There, lying on a cold slab in the middle of the room was the impressive form of Megatron, his inner works open for all to see.

Rumble put a hand over his mouth. "Ugh… I think I'm gonna discharge…"

The Constructions barely looked up from their work when the Decepticons entered. Scrapper spared Soundwave a glance, but didn't acknowledge his companions.

"Yes, Soundwave? Any more wounded you want to throw at me?"

Soundwave's gaze settled on Megatron. "Will he survive?"

"…it's looking like he will, yes."

"How long?"

"I don't kn-"

"_How long?"_

Frenzy and Rumble looked up at their 'parent', surprised. They had never seen Soundwave interrupt someone before, let alone with attitude in his voice.

Scrapper seemed equally taken aback, as did the other Constructicons.

"Um… a few hundred astrocycles, at least."

Soundwave just nodded.

"Why?"

The communications officer fixed the Construction with a steady gaze. "Because things are about to get much worse."

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Bumblebee grandly indicated to the two Autobots in front of them.

"May I present… Gears and Huffer."

Sunstreaker looked Gears up and down with a cocked optic ridge and sneer ready on his lip components.

"What?" the little Autobot demanded irritably.

The yellow Autobot seemed shocked to be talked to in such a way. He uncrossed his arms and moved closer.

"I was just thinking what a puny little thing you look like."

Ironhide and Sideswipe groaned simultaneously, both putting their hands over their faces as they shook their heads in an unintentionally similar manner.

Jazz stepped between them before things could escalate further. "Let's save the sparring sessions for once the crew's together, okay?"

Huffer tilted his head to the side curiously. "Crew?"

Cliffjumper poked a thumb in Ironhide's direction. "They're puttin' together a crew to go look for Energon."

Gears crossed his arms. "I don't see what the point is. There's no guarantee that you'll find any, and even if you did, what makes you think you'll be able to use it without the Decepticons stealing it?"

Huffer nodded his agreement. "It can't be done. The Decepticons steal everything we have. They always do."

"Y' ever here of a little thing called optimism?" Ironhide said, his hands on his hips.

"Optimism gets you killed," Gears replied glumly. "I had a friend who was optimistic. He got a laser blast to the head." To emphasise, he pointed at his forehead.

Huffer shrugged. "He's right. There's nothing you can do."

Sideswipe rolled his optics. "Primus…"

Jazz looked over at Bumblebee. "And you think these guys would be a good addition to the crew, why?"

"Gears here is one of the strongest and most Energon efficient Autobots on Cybertron, and Huffer can make anything out of nothing."

The saboteur looked back to the two Minibots, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Anythin' out of nothin', huh?"

"You're not seriously considerin' this," Ironhide said quietly.

"Why not? They might complain a lot, but they make a lot of tactical sense."

"Yeah… but…" he groaned in irritation at yet _another _defeat. "Fine. But _Ah _will decide whether the next one comes or goes, okay?"

"No problem." With a grin, he looked over to the two grim-faced Autobots. "You're hired."

"Whoop dee doo. Now I can die in outer space instead of Cybertron."

"…yeah." He turned to Bumblebee. "Anyone else?"

"Uh…" the Minibot thought for a moment. Inspiration struck, and he raised his finger to accentuate the point. "Ah ha! Two more. And I guarantee even _he_ will love them," he said, indicating Ironhide.

Jazz grinned. "That is one hell of a sales pitch."

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The nurse poked her head through the doorway and politely smiled at him. "I'm sorry for the wait, but… he's been reluctant to see visitors."

Optimus nodded. "I understand." He nervously tapped his thumbs together, his fingers interlocked together. It was a habit he had picked up from watching Ultra Magnus trying to look nonchalant, and he hadn't been able to shake it since.

Smiling, the nurse looked outside the doorway and into the corridor. "You can come in now. If you need anything…"

"It's all right," a gentle voice replied. The nurse allowed him some room, and Bluestreak stepped into the doorway. Optimus got to his feet, his fingertips keeping in contact with the table in front of him.

"Bluestreak. It's good to see you."

The grey Autobot yielded a small and unenthusiastic smile. He nodded at the nurse, and she left. The door slid shut behind him without a sound. It was eerie.

"How are you doing?" Optimus asked, tentatively offering Bluestreak the chair opposite him.

He silently declined with a small shake of the head. "I'm… okay. They're treating me pretty well in here."

"That's good to hear," Optimus replied, slowly sitting down. "I read some of the articles you wrote. They were very good."

Bluestreak shrugged, unable to meet Optimus' unintentionally intimidating gaze. No-one told the Autobot leader about it, because it would most likely horrify him to think he was doing that to his fellow Autobots.

"They're okay."

"They're more than just 'okay', Bluestreak. They're an inspiration to others. It helps them to see that there's more than just war on Cybertron. Sometimes… it's easy to forget that."

"Yeah. I know." He looked at Optimus. "Look… it's not that I don't appreciate the visit, but… why?"

Optimus sighed. "Because I think you need to get out of here, Bluestreak."

"What?"

It was almost a gasp.

"I think you need to get out of here. To… start living again."

"As long as… _they're _out there, I'm not going to be 'living' any time soon."

"Bluestreak, please. I'm leading an exploration mission into space. I want you to come with me. I know you don't want to become involved in the war again, but this way, you would-"

"Look, just-!" Bluestreak caught himself in mid-yell. "Just go, would you?"

Optimus was ready to gently argue his case when the door slid open and the nurse came through.

"Is everything all right in here?"

"It's fine," Bluestreak said quietly. "Optimus was just going."

The Autobot leader considered fighting it, but decided against it. It would be a pointless gesture here.

He complied and walked to the doorway, but stopped and turned to Bluestreak before he left.

"Think about it, Bluestreak. No evil was ever defeated by the good doing nothing."

And with that, he followed the nurse out.

Bluestreak stared at the closed door silently, wishing that Optimus were still there.

It'd be someone to talk to, at the very least.

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Ironhide had never been fond of Minibots, and he, along with his comrades (particularly Optimus) had never been sure why. Perhaps it was the fact that Mini_cons_ always managed to sneak around him and beat him in battle. Maybe it was the fact that the few Minibots he _did _know where either obnoxious or annoying.

Or maybe he was just getting old and prejudice.

As he walked behind the small yellow Autobot Bumblebee, he frowned. He could swear that he was getting lighter as he went on. A quick glance down rapidly turned to confusion as he realised his feet were gradually coming up from the ground, almost floating.

"What in the-?"

He looked around and saw that the others similarly confused, with the exception of the Minibots accompanying them.

Gears scowled. "Dammit, Windcharger, cut that out!"

A chuckle came from behind him, and Ironhide turned to see a small grey and red Autobot coming towards them, chuckling.

"Okay, okay… there you go."

They all descended back to the ground.

"Fellas… _this _is Windcharger," Bumblebee said, gesturing to the snickering Autobot.

Sideswipe cocked an optic ridge. "How'd you do that?"

Windcharger shrugged. "I can manipulate magnetic waves."

The red Autobot's optics lit up. "How far can you throw Transformers?"

"Not very far," he replied with a smile, and Sideswipe's face fell.

Ironhide nodded. "All right, now y' see, ah can understand how somethin' like _that _would be useful. You're on the team."

"What team?"

Jazz smiled and shook his head at Ironhide. "We'll explain later," he said to an increasingly confused looking Windcharger.

"All right," Ironhide said loudly, clapping his hands together. "That's all, right?"

"Wrong."

Everyone turned to see yet another Minibot, although as Minibots went, he was pretty damn big.

Ironhide cocked an optic ridge. "And ah suppose _you're _the tough guy around here?"

"That's right."

Bumblebee nodded. "Everybody… meet Brawn."

"Brawn, huh?" He made his way over to the miniscule Autobot. "You don't look too brawny to me," he said, leaning forward and putting his face in Brawn's. "In fact, you-"

A fast and hard head butt interrupted him in mid speech. Ironhide stumbled back, holding his nose.

"Why you-"

He charged forward to grab the little Autobot, but Brawn ducked beneath and put his hands on Ironhide's chest and midsection, lifting him above his head with ease. With a smile of pure pleasure on his face, Brawn turned and tossed Ironhide on to the ground in front of him.

"Any more questions?" he said, hands on hips.

Sunstreaker pointed to Brawn over his crossed arms and leaned over to Sideswipe. "First one of these Minibots I like."

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(A/N: Ironically, the chapter called 'The Little Details' ended up being my longest for this story.

Bluestreak isn't a writer (as far as I know), but I liked the idea of him doing something creative. I think I read a story where he liked to draw, but I can't remember where.

Anyway, reviews welcome!)


	7. The First of Many

Disclaimer: I don't own the _Transformers._

_**Desperate Measures**_

_**Chapter Seven: The First of Many**_

Optimus Prime was trapped in chaos. Servants frantically rushed through the lobby, all manner of collectible items piled up in their arms. If he had known where they were going, Optimus probably would have offered to help, so frightened did they look.

As the leader of the Autobots ventured further into the vast estate, the voice of his quarry could be heard echoing from a higher level.

"No, _that _trophy goes with the rifle I used to win it. _This _trophy goes in that crate."

He slowly made his way up the grand stairway before him when a small servant-bot whizzed into his path.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes. I'm here to see Mirage."

"Is it an emergency?"

"Not yet, but-"

"Then I am afraid you will have to leave."

"It won't take long."

"Be that as it may, sir, I'm afraid the Master is very busy at the moment, and cannot be disturbed."

Optimus crossed his arms and sighed, covering his face with his hand. "Tell him that Optimus Prime is here to see him." He seldom liked using his name to get what he wanted, but there were times that it was necessary.

The servant bot continued on, nonplussed by the revelation of Optimus' identity.

"I'm afraid I cannot interrupt him at the moment, sir. You will have to come back later."

Prime's chest seemed to inflate as he fixed the robot with a heavily restrained glare. "I can't come back later. I have to speak to him now."

"And to what is it pertaining, may I ask?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say."

"Then _I _am afraid that our business here is concluded. Good day, sir."

It made to gently push Optimus away, but the towering red Autobot didn't budge. "I'm not leaving until I talk to Mirage."

"Will I have to call security?"

"Not if you let me talk to Mirage."

The two stared at one another, attempting to beat the other down. Unfortunately for the servant-bot, there were few that could receive an 'Optimus Prime glare' and survive unscathed.

"I'll just get him for you."

The robot quickly turned and went up the stairs, perhaps a little faster than was required. He was gone for all but a few astroseconds before a disgruntled Mirage poked his head out of one of the doors on the floor above Optimus.

"Ah, it _is _Optimus Prime. And what can I do for you?"

"I have something to talk to you about."

"Yes?"

Optimus looked around uncomfortably. "Can we discuss this in private?"

"Look, I really am quite busy. Can you just give me a summary?"

"No. This is important."

"If this is about joining up, you already know the answer."

"It isn't." Optimus unfolded his arms. "Trust me."

The noblemech above him stared at Optimus for a few moments.

"All right," he sighed. "But not for long. I need everything valuable out of here before the Decepticons get here."

Prime was silent for a moment. "Let's talk, Mirage."

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His optics flickered to life.

With a collective gasp, the Constructicons backed away from the operating table.

Megatron sat up and swung his legs around. He looked around the room, a deep frown creasing his features.

"What… has happened in my absence?"

They all shuffled from one foot to the other, none wanting to tell their leader about the activities of his chosen second in command.

A mighty black hand leapt out and grabbed Hook by the neck, pulling him close.

"What… has… happened?"

The panicking Constructicon stammered out the truth, and Megatron dropped him to the ground.

Without another word, the Decepticon leader got to his feet and left the med bay, ignoring the protestations of Scrapper, and his claims that he wasn't 'fully healed' yet.

Only one thing was on Megatron's mind.

And it began with an 'S'.

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"I'm in rather a bind here, Prime, so if you don't mind getting to the point…?"

Optimus nodded, his attention unaffected by his lavish surroundings. Other Autobots would have gaped in wonder at the luxury around them. They would have shot Mirage looks both envious and jealous.

But not Optimus Prime. His mind never faltered when he was after something.

Not that Mirage thought the Autobot leader would have been interested in such things if this was a leisurely visit.

"Why the rush, Mirage?"

"You _have _heard about the battle at Polyhex, haven't you? I don't intend to be around when they reach Iacon."

"There's still Uraya, Mirage."

The noble mech cocked an optic ridge. "And you really think that battle will go any differently?"

"Yes," Prime replied quickly, without hesitation. Too quickly.

"I see. Well, I'm afraid I don't have your optimism, Prime."

Prime changed tactics. "I'm here to ask you to come on an exploration mission."

Mirage almost laughed. "An exploration mission? To where?"

"Deep space."

"The Energon shortage?"

Optimus nodded.

"I see. And why do you think I would want to come?"

Prime sighed, weary. "There's nothing I can say to convince you to come on this mission. Nothing that differs from what I told you when I asked you to join the Autobot army."

"And you think my answer may have changed in the meantime, is that it?"

"Basically."

Mirage sighed, although his wasn't weary like Optimus'. It was tinged with sadness.

"And I'm afraid my answer is still no."

The kind glow of Optimus' optics became sharp, the change almost imperceptible. "This won't last forever, Mirage."

"What?"

"This," he said, gesturing all around them with a small movement of his hand. His optics were locked on Mirage's the entire time. "It's all temporary."

"Until I set up somewhere else, I suppose it is, yes."

"And what happens when the Decepticons destroy wherever 'somewhere else' is, Mirage? What then? You keep on moving?"

Optimus' tone was far from judgemental. It was halfway between desperation and genuine curiosity.

"Until the war is over, yes."

"What if the war doesn't end? Or arguably worse, what if our mission for Energon fails? What then?"

"I'll find some way to survive."

This time, there was an audible change in Optimus voice. "You're perfectly happy to fade away, is that it? As long as no-one touches you or your possessions, the rest of the world be hanged?"

Mirage didn't reply. He had never been on the receiving end of an Optimus Prime rant before. It was a… difficult experience.

"You haven't changed since I first met you. Unwilling to help your planet or your people, and for a reason that I have never been able to ascertain. Do you know what my comrades in arms call you?"

The noble mech dumbly shook his head.

"Coward."

Prime let that one word sink in before continuing on.

"I never believed it myself. I always thought that there was something else. But perhaps they're right."

"I'm no coward, Prime." He blurted it out without thinking.

The kindness in Optimus' optics and posture returned. "Then tell me why, Mirage. If I understood, then perhaps I would allow you to live in peace."

"I-"

"Sir?"

Mirage looked over at the servant-bot that had just entered the room.

"Yes?"

"Where would you like the holo-medal you won for the 18925th turbo fox hunt?"

The blue and white mech glanced over at Prime, who was watching him expectantly. Mirage got to his feet.

"I'll come up and take a look. Goodbye, Prime."

The Autobot leader gave him a passing glance as he left. "Goodbye, Mirage."

His communicator beeped, and Optimus brought his arm up, mentally lifting the cover over the vidscreen in his forearm.

"Prime."

"_It's Ultra Magnus. The Decepticons are here. The battle has begun."_

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Ironhide scrunched up his face.

"Oh! Now _that _is the most disgustingly sticky piece a'-"

Jazz shot him a look over his shoulder. "Would you quiet down? We're never gonna find him if you keep stoppin' for every little thing you step on."

"Ah'm just sayin'… it's disgusting, is all."

"And that's fine. But could you save the complainin' for later?"

"Fine."

"Good."

Jazz returned to his searching through the ravaged wasteland, vowing to never again be by himself with Ironhide.

"It's jus-"

"Ssshhhhh!"

"Don't you tell me to shush, ah'll-"

Jazz looked over at him. "Wasn't me, man."

"Oh. Then who-?"

A dark green arm waved at them. "Over here!" The words were whispered so gently, Ironhide's audio receptors barely picked them up.

Slowly, the two Autobots made their way over to their final recruit. It had been a long mission, and Ironhide was looking forward to at least a little bit of rest before they went into space.

Hopefully.

The green mech was hunched behind a large outcropping of metal, peering over the top cautiously.

Jazz and Ironhide looked over the top with similar caution, both wondering what inspired it in their new friend.

"Would you look at that…" he whispered to his two visitors. "It must have flown in from some other planet," he said, pointing at the creature before them that resembled a bird, although the proportions were all wrong.

"What is it?" Ironhide asked far too loudly, and the creature fled, disappearing into the night sky.

A glare was his only answer, and Jazz tried to fight back his smirk. He stepped forward, hand outstretched.

"How ya doin'? The name's Jazz."

After an extended angry look at Ironhide, the Autobot relaxed and turned his attention to the black and white mech.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Hound."

Ironhide barged through with his usual subtlety. "We're runnin' out of time, so ah'll cut to the chase. We're puttin' together an exploration mission into outer space to look for more Energon. You in?"

Hound seemed reluctant to talk to the elder mech at first, but then seemed to process the offer.

Ironhide's communicator beeped.

"Yeah?"

Optimus' visage appeared on the small screen. _"Ironhide. Is Jazz with you?"_

"Yup. We're jus' talking to our last recruit now."

"_And?"_

Ironhide and Jazz looked up at Hound.

"And?"

He smiled an easy smile. "A chance to explore something other than this floating rust bucket? Any time."

Ironhide looked down at his communicator. "You catch that?"

"_I did. And not a moment too soon."_

"Uraya?" Jazz asked.

"_Yes. Gather the crew together and meet me at the Iacon launching bay. It's time for a trial run."_

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A laser blast sailed over his head, and Kup ducked as it exploded behind him, sending chunks of debris bouncing around him and off his battle hardened chassis. Setting his jaw, he leapt to his feet, fired off a few shots, and then ducked again.

The battle wasn't going well.

"Big surprise," he muttered, inserting a new cartridge into his blaster.

"What's that?" Springer asked, looking the other way.

"Nothin', Springer. Just talking about how well the battle's goin'."

"Oh. The usual. Gotcha."

The triple changer hopped to his feet and moved to another part of the trench, keeping his head down. Kup gnawed his lip components together, irritated at being dismissed.

So what if he was complaining? He was allowed to complain. He-

Another explosion ripped open the ground behind Kup, the force of the blast sending him into the air. He landed with a crash in the middle of the battlefield.

Using honed reflexes, Kup was on his feet in an instant, deftly dodging laser fire and returning blasts of his own as he desperately searched around for more cover.

Purple lightning caught him in his ankle unit, sending him crashing to the ground. The familiar hydraulic whirring and clicking of a transformation sounded behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see Dirge approaching him, arm cannon raised to deliver the final attack.

He smirked.

A laser blast hit the Conehead dead in the center of his chest, sending him sprawling.

"Move, you broken down pile a' scrap!"

Kup leapt to his feet at the sound of the familiar voice, and ran towards the trench, now protected by a new barrage of cover fire.

He leapt into the trench and was greeted by the ugliest and most familiar face he had seen in a long time.

"Trust you to be getting in more trouble than anyone else."

"At least I was here, old timer."

"Who you callin' old timer?"

Kup just smiled at Ironhide, glad to have some reinforcements. "Prime here too?"

The red mech nodded. "The whole crew's here."

Prowl ran between the two, laser rifle in hand. "Fight now, talk later!"

Another explosion rocked the trench, and Decepticons spilled into the Autobot encampment held behind it.

The battle began in earnest.

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Prowl fired off some shots at Octane as he charged at him in his Cybertronian tanker mode. The triple changer showed little signs of stopping, ignoring the deep gashes being caused by Prowl's pinpoint accuracy. A black and white blur slammed into Octane's side, tipping him over and forcing him to transform into robot mode.

Jazz himself transformed into robot mode in a stylish flip, landing on his feet with the flair of a dancer.

With a snarl, Octane charged forward, swinging his fist at the smirking Autobot. Jazz sidestepped and turned, slapping the Decepticon on the back and sending him off balance and onto his front.

Octane got to his feet and turned to face Jazz, his red optics now seething with rage.

"I'll teach you to-"

A blast from Prowl's laser rifle silenced him.

Jazz gave him a grateful nod. "Thanks." He pulled his blaster from subspace.

Prowl tilted his head to the side, confused. "If you had a blaster, why didn't you just shoot him?"

A grin was his reply. "Where's the fun in that?"

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Thundercracker sneered at the pitiful display before him. Skywarp snickered from where he stood beside his comrade.

"_This _is what Optimus Prime sends against us in battle? Minibots?"

"Why you lousy-" Cliffjumper leapt at him.

With a dismissive sweep of his arm, Thundercracker knocked the 'Bot aside. Skywarp cackled in glee.

"Ha! Battle _and _a show!"

"Hey! Guys!"

The two turned to face Bumblebee.

"And what're _you _gonna do?"

"Distract ya."

"Huh?"

The two were barraged by metal debris, each piece bigger than the last. They took to the air and transformed, flying straight up and looping around until they could make a strafing run on Windcharger, who had been hiding behind a magnetised sheet of metal. Skywarp fired, blowing up the sheet of metal and sending the Minibot to the ground behind him.

While they were at it, they fired on Bumblebee, burying him under debris. Satisfied, the two transformed back into robot mode and landed.

"Ha. Scratch two little pains in the aft," Skywarp sneered.

"Why don't you try that with me?" A mighty voice boomed, and the two turned in fear to face Brawn. Their fear quickly turned to smugness.

"Oh, come on. Are you here to distract us as well?"

"Nope. I'm here to kick your afts."

He leapt up and kicked Skywarp in the face, knocking him onto his back. Gears and Huffer leapt from their hiding places onto him, pummelling him senseless. Brawn threw Thundercracker over his shoulder with ease, sending him crashing into a wall.

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Thundercracker yelled from his upside down position. "I'm getting out of here!" He turned himself upright, transformed, and took to the air.

Skywarp quickly followed, barely managing to teleport away from the beating Huffer and Gears were administrating.

Brawn snorted.

"Wimps."

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Blitzwing swing his fist at Hound, only for it to go through him. He reeled back, alarmed.

"Holograms…" he muttered.

"Oops, wrong one. I'm over here."

The triple changer turned and attacked the Hound behind him. He went straight through him, too.

"Oh, my mistake. I'm over here."

"Or is that here?"

"Here?"

"Maybe here?"

"Heck, even I'm not sure anymore. Could you check?"

With a roar of frustration, Blitzwing transformed into a Cybertronian tank, completely decimating the area around him with laser blasts.

Breathing heavily out of his exhaust vent, Blitzwing transformed back into robot mode. A hand tapped him on the shoulder.

"Still didn't get me."

He whipped around and grabbed Hound by the neck, grinning maliciously.

"I got you now, though."

"Maybe… but then again, maybe not."

Ultra Magnus swung Blitzwing around and delivered a sharp punch to his jaw, hurling him across the battleground and into stasis lock. Hound gave him a quick salute.

"Thanks, chief."

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"Hey, Skywarp!"

"Yeah?"

"Check it out! Autobot _brothers!"_

"Ooo, where? Let's kick their afts!"

"Just what I was thinking. They look like real pushovers, too."

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Starscream scowled. "What is Astrotrain doing? He can't manoeuvre like that!"

Soundwave looked over at him. "But you can."

"Shut up, Soundwave. And get down there! Megatron may have coddled you, but I intend to make you earn your keep!"

The communications officer nigh on glared at the Air Commander before flying into the battle field, his hand poised over his eject button to release his 'children'.

Reflector tapped Starscream on the shoulder.

"Starscream! Starscream!"

"I'm busy, Reflector! Tell me later!"

"It's important!"

"As important as this?"

"Well-"

"Then it can wait!"

"But-"

"I said later!"

A different voice responded.

"STARSCREAM!"

He almost discharged upon hearing the enraged voice. He looked at Reflector.

"Megatron's here? MEGATRON? AND YOU DIDN'T THINK THIS WAS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO TELL ME?"

An impossibly heavy black hand clamped down on his shoulder, crushing it in a vicelike grip. Starscream yelled out in pain and fell to his knees.

"Megatron, I-!"

"Silence!"

The Decepticon leader tossed him aside, and glared down at Reflector. All three of his components were shaking. He shoved an angry finger in Starscream's direction.

"Put a blaster to his head. If he moves, kill him."

Reflector continued to shake on the spot.

"What are you waiting for?"

He leapt to it, running over to Starscream as fast as his legs could take him.

Megatron turned to the battlefield, disgusted.

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Thundercracker and Skywarp screamed in agony, slamming their hands down on the ground. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe lay on top of them, bending their Decepticon prey's arms and legs at impossible angles.

"We give up, we give up!"

Sunstreaker snorted, looking over at Sideswipe.

"I hope any aliens we come across are better then these guys."

"Yeah, no joke. I was almost falling into recharge mode during that fight."

Optimus Prime ran past them, his focus firmly on getting back to the front line.

He paused.

Surely he didn't see what he thought he just did. He backtracked and looked at the two cautiously, thinking it some Decepticon trap at first.

Sideswipe spotted him and gave him a cheery wave. "Hey! We're on your team!"

Sunstreaker barely acknowledged him, more content to continue torturing his captive.

Optimus almost said something, but then decided against it.

He would have to talk to Ironhide and Jazz.

He continued on his way, only to be stopped by a blaster pressed against his neck.

"Drop it."

Optimus slowly dropped the rifle. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe couldn't see him. He was on his own. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed the identity of his assailant as Ramjet, his smirk unsurprising.

"Now get moving." He chuckled. "Just think, the great Optimu-"

A single loud clang interrupted his rant, followed by the noise of him crashing to the ground.

Optimus turned around to face… nothing. He smiled, relieved.

"Good to see you, Mirage."

"Or not, as the case may be." The outline of a yellow box appeared in front of Optimus, giving way to the visage of the blue and white noblemech. "I told you I wasn't a coward."

Optimus Prime put his hand on Mirage's shoulder. "That was never in question, Mirage." He scooped up his rifle and nodded in the direction of the battlefield. "Come on. There's still a lot of work to do."

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(A/N: Hope everybody had some Happy Holidays. They certainly gave me a boost where my writing is concerned. Or maybe it was reading IDW's 'Infiltration' Transformers book, I don't know. :P

Anyway, reviews are great!

P.S. Hhgbh gets as many cookies as desired for beta-ing.

P.P.S. The new trailer for the Transformers movie is fantastic, in my opinion. So Optimus has flames, big whoop.)


	8. More than Meets the Eye

Disclaimer: I don't own _Transformers._

_**Desperate Measures**_

**_Chapter Eight: More than Meets the Eye_**

Optimus looked straight at Ironhide with half closed optics across his desk. "And you thought it would be a good idea to bring them along?"

"Yup."

"After one of them – and these are your words – threw you across the room?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"They're good Prime, y'can't deny that."

The Autobot leader sighed and shook his head. "I suppose not. They did dispose themselves well at Uraya."

Ironhide's smile faded. "How did the evac go?"

"As well as can be expected while we're under fire." He was silent for a moment. The battle at Uraya had gone better than usual for the Autobots. They had managed to hold their own against the Decepticons, but at the price of the city. In the end, neither side left that battle the victor. "Smokescreen tells me morale couldn't be lower."

His companion shrugged. "Yeah, well… maybe once we find some Energon and bring it home."

"Perhaps." He sighed again. "And I've still yet to find a first officer for this mission."

"Who's in charge for the moment?"

"Jazz has all the security clearance for the Ark for now. If I don't find anyone else… he's it."

Ironhide nodded. "Not a bad choice."

"But not an ideal one, least of all for Jazz. Perhaps I should ask Ultra Magnus. See if he has any suggestions."

"You think he's got anyone he's willin' to give up?"

"'Give up' is a bit harsh, isn't it?"

"Ah guess. Sorry."

The door to Optimus' office chimed.

"Come."

It opened, and Ultra Magnus stepped through.

"Here's the report from the evac," he said, handing over a datapad to Prime.

"Thank you." Optimus was about to put it aside for later, and smiled. He handed it back to Magnus. "Time to break old habits, my friend."

Somewhat reluctantly, the City Commander took back the datapad and tucked it into subspace.

Ironhide swivelled in his chair to face Ultra Magnus. "Say, Magnus. You wouldn't happen to know of anyone who could serve as first officer on a search mission, would you?"

After barely a moment's thought, Ultra Magnus smiled. "I have just the Autobot."

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Prowl was somewhat overwhelmed by the truckload of information he was receiving from all directions.

And he was having the time of his life organising it all. This was just what the doctor ordered. A dozen Autobots all needing direction and purpose in their tasks, and Prowl being the perfect mech to do it.

He was walking alongside Optimus and Trailbreaker down a walkway as they discussed the whereabouts of Jazz, Wheeljack and Bumblebee. The latter two had returned from their Energon scouting mission after a brief run in with the Decepticons. Bumblebee was a little scorched, but none the worse for wear.

Jazz was on his way now.

Prowl was quite confused when it came to the black and white mech. Jazz seemed to almost take joy in pointless endeavours where there were far more logical and efficient methods at his disposal.

Why would one want to waste time and energy in such a way?

A section of the walkway was missing in front of them, but it was quickly replaced as Jazz arrived on a rising platform in his vehicle mode. He transformed and made his way over.

"Any luck, Jazz?" Optimus asked tiredly.

He already knew the answer.

"Negative. No sign, and Cybertron's blacker than the inside of a drive shaft."

Prowl frowned. A d_rive what?_

Optimus sighed. "Unless a new supply of energy is found, no-one is going to win this war."

"When do we start the search mission?" Prowl asked, putting aside his analysis of Jazz's gibberish for later.

"As soon as you're ready to launch."

"Prime?"

Optimus and his entire entourage turned to see Bluestreak, escorted by Springer.

"I, uh… would like to come with you."

With a warm smile, Optimus came forward and put a hand on the black and grey Autobot's shoulder.

"I'm glad, Bluestreak." He turned to Trailbreaker. "Trailbreaker, if you wouldn't mind briefing Bluestreak?"

"It'd be my pleasure, Prime. C'mon, Bluestreak, let me show you the recreation center in the Ark."

Nobody noticed Soundwave's newest 'child', Laserbeak, watching and listening to the entire exchange.

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"If there's a new source of energy to be found, the Decepticons must find it first."

Megatron had only just heard of this Autobot mission after returning from the battle. Apparently, this information had been available to Starscream as well. He simply ignored it.

However, Megatron had calmed down since the battle. At least, as calm as Megatron could be when someone had betrayed him. His somewhat more docile mood may have had something to do with what Shockwave's excavation team had found at Vos.

The Heart of Cybertron, an ancient relic of incredible power that would, legend had it, allow it's user to destroy anyone or anything that opposed him or her.

And Megatron wanted to take it with him to pursue the Autobots on a search mission. Foolishness. Shockwave removed the thought from his mind and focused on the job at hand. There was no logic in dwelling on such emotional matters when he was examining the remains of Uraya for any Autobots.

The door to the command room opened, and Soundwave stepped through.

"Autobots are set to launch, Megatron."

Megatron smirked. "As are we. Shockwave!"

The ever-logical Decepticon transformed and looked down at Megatron from where he was perched above him. "What is your command, Megatron?"

"You are to stay behind. I entrust Cybertron to you, Shockwave."

Without hesitation, Shockwave saluted. "Fear not, Megatron. Cybertron shall remain as you leave it."

"Excellent." Megatron turned back around, seemingly talking to himself. "Now it is only a matter of time before Optimus Prime admits defeat."

Shockwave and Soundwave exchanged an almost imperceptible glance. Megatron never used to talk to himself.

Starscream didn't seem to notice. "The Decepticons would've won eons ago if I'd been calling the shots."

Shockwave prepared himself for the inevitable explosion. Only, it didn't come.

"Starscream," Megatron replied calmly, "only a select few _ever _lead."

"My time will come, Megatron," the air commander practically spat, staring Megatron in the optic.

"Never…" Megatron clenched his fist and shook his head. "Never!" Starscream turned away, seemingly disgusted by the display.

Megatron turned to Soundwave.

"Prepare to blast off!"

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Optimus put his thumb on the last datapad, and handed it over to Ultra Magnus.

"That's the last of the command codes."

The pad hung between them.

As soon as Magnus took it, it would mean that Optimus would turn around, get on that ship, and disappear for what could be forever.

As soon as Magnus took it, he would be put in charge of the Autobots. He would be responsible for all of them.

"You'll do fine."

His head snapped up to look at Optimus, though he wasn't particularly surprised. Prime could read practically anyone like a datapad.

"I hope so."

Jazz smiled. "Just not too good, eh? Prime wants to feel needed when he gets back."

"No worries there." His small smile faded. "Does Prowl have all the command codes for the Ark?"

Optimus shook his head. "We simply haven't had the time. When we get underway, we'll get to it. But for now…"

"I'm in charge," Jazz said, smirking. "Uh, present company excepted, of course."

A heavy silence hung between them.

"I'm sure you'll all do great," Magnus said.

Optimus looked his comrade in the optic. "Goodbye, old friend."

Ultra Magnus smiled and nodded. He took the datapad.

And Optimus Prime turned and left for the Ark, the last, best hope for Autobots and Decepticons alike.

He scowled. Where in the name of Cybertron was Elita?

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Optimus walked through the corridors of the Ark, Ironhide and Trailbreaker flanking him.

Wheeljack was busy at work in the engine room, all offers of assistance refused rather adamantly (and sometimes violently, in the case of the twins) until he had been left alone to his own devices.

The Minibots were at their stations on the bridge, Gears and Huffer bickering about the hopelessness of the situation while the others could only sit beside them and hope they would shut up.

Ratchet was shooting glares at both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe across the command center. The twins had ended up being his first two patients on board the Ark. Three times in a row in so many astroseconds.

Optimus wondered how that was even physically possible.

Prowl came up to him with every query and worry imaginable, and every time Prime had the same answer:

"Wait until we're off the ground."

The master tactician hadn't been happy with that response. Optimus could tell this was going to be a trying mission.

Ironhide looked over at Prime.

"Been quite a ride, hasn't it?"

Optimus nodded. "Somehow, I think the greater ride is to come." He smiled and looked over at Ironhide. "Stations."

His two companions took their seats and logged in.

Optimus sat next to Jazz and logged on to the computer Wheeljack had built from scratch.

It was named Teletran.

Optimus hoped he wouldn't have to get used to the name.

Something beeped on Jazz's console, and he looked over at Optimus, excitement lighting his optics.

"All systems go!"

Optimus reached up and pushed the button in front of him. The button that would decide the fate of not only the Autobots, but Cybertron itself.

He only wished he could have said goodbye to Elita before he left.

"Ignition."

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(A/N: That's all, folks! I can't begin to tell you how much I've enjoyed writing this story and seeing your reaction to it.

Before I start thanking everyone, I'd just like to say that I know about the flashback in 'The Search for Alpha Trion', and I didn't particularly care for how Elita was portrayed in it. It certainly didn't gel with the character as I've written her in this story, so I left it out. And it adds a certain tragedy to the story (on top of the whole 'leaving their planet perhaps forever' thing).

That said, on to the thank you's!

Rose – Thanks for the ever important first review!

Fire Lady a.k.a. Ruby Autobot – Glad to see you enjoyed the guessing game I was playing (although I admit, it wasn't exactly hard to figure out).

Syntia13 – It's thanks to you that I even thought of the twins' bar brawl, so thanks for that (one of my favourite scenes to write, it was!).

Hhgbh – Many, many, many, many, many, MANY cookies for you for beta-ing. There's not much higher praise than a whole bunch of cookies, now is there? Thanks for your help.

Morncreek – "grin I love this story." This review made my day. Thanks!

Thatredcar – I hope you enjoyed the rest of the story, and thanks for reviewing!

MariaShadow – Thanks for letting my use you Jazz character traits – I honestly don't know what direction I would have gone with him without them. Also, thanks to you I learnt such valuable terms as 'optic ridge'.

Ultra Rodimus – I've _still _yet to take you up on your offer of a veritable encyclopaedia of Transformers facts, but I will someday, I swear! Also, your character's habit of butting into your reviews is… disturbing. Better have that checked. ;)

Blazer-6 – Thanks for your reviews; always nice to have a regular.

Mabel-Zen – I'm glad to have given you an 'education' (as it were) in the wider G1 universe. It was a lot of fun to mash together the various characters, I have to admit (Kup has always been one of my favourites).

Fk306animelover – Thanks for your reviews!

Crystal Shekeira – Considering your fondness for the character, I'm glad you enjoyed my take on Mirage, although I have to admit I found it rather difficult. Maybe it's because he's so cagey on the show, but I just find it hard to get a bead on his motivations. Thanks for your reviews. Coming from as great a writer as yourself, it's very much appreciated.

Lady Razorsharp – I'm glad to see you enjoyed my various takes on the characters (even the more difficult ones like Optimus). Thanks for the reviews!

Soundwave's idol – Hope you enjoyed the rest of the story.

AngelMouse5 – All that CFS stuff was certainly a lifesaver. Thanks for reviewing.

Lnzy1 – Glad you enjoyed it!

PuraJazzBot - I really appreciate how you went through each chapter and reviewed them individually. It was a nice gesture.

Mithwen – It's always cool to have a nostalgic fan come back to the fold (wow, I'm really making Transformer fandom sound like a cult. It isn't, seriously. Nope. Not at all. Not a single bit ;)). Thanks for your reviews!

Well, the fat lady's a-singin', folks. Hope you enjoyed the story. And Happy New Year!)


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